Stream: The Other History
by Zoram Selrof
Summary: Sequel to Axess Other Hist. Barely half a month after the defeat of "Nebula" and the "Darkloids", Hikari Netto & Rock Man have to face the "trial" granted to humanity by the extraterrestrial Net Navi Duo. Their opponents will be the "Asteroids", rebuilt old foes, along with some other parties. Can they and their friends stand up to this "trial" and ensure the survival of Earth?
1. Chapter 1: Duo

**Stream: The Other History**

**By Zoram Selrof**

**Chapter 1: Duo**

23:13 PM (Paris Time), Thursday May the 18th, 2005…

_So! They've come. Heh, heh, heh. Soon this worthless metropolis will be filled with terror and fear…_

A man about 1'90 meters who wore a black trench-coat, a brown hat with a navy blue band around, a black suit below the coat, pants, and brown shoes, plus a balaclava and sunglasses, was looking at a PET II's screen while walking down a bare concrete corridor somewhere.

_Let's meet them!_

He opened a door and stepped into a largely unfurnished room which only had loose light bulbs hanging from the ceiling: there was another door across the room.

"_Bonsior, monsieurs_."

A dozen men dressed in black and carrying AKs-47us assault rifles were waiting: they all appealed to be on their late thirties or early forties and they looked like _guerrilla_ commandos for hire.

"So! Cha are the one who called us." One of them, a man taller than the others, told the newcomer.

"_Oui_. You may call me "Shadow Schemer". I've got a job for you and I've already forwarded three quarters of your usual fare."

"Yeah. That's true. So! What's the job?"

"Strike Paris Bank."

"You gotta be kidding us. The place's a fortress. Invincible."

"Tut, tut! There's no such thing as unrivaled in this age."

"Ya got an insider there?"

"Correct. They will remove the defenses: you can go and pick up all the cash and gold you find there: I'll pick Cyber Money myself."

"Hum… Sounds interesting… So we pick the stuff and come out?"

"Yes. The goal is to prove that there's nothing invincible."

"Won't they know it was us who were there?"

"No. All electricity is gone: the cameras won't work. The rent-a-cops are out of the equation: some nice napping gas… Think of it! You could show other clients how you got into the so-called "fortress" and came out unscratched: have all credit." "Shadow Schemer" continued.

"Then we'd rise and get more high-level jobs… Yeah… I'm starting to like that plan of yours… When do we strike?"

"Tonight. Right now."

"Perfect! Let's go, my men! There'll be cash for everyone!"

"Horray~!"

The squad came out through the door and the "Shadow Schemer" chuckled under their breath.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hmpf… Whatever… While everyone is distracted by that idiot who'll organize a show I'll go and make this proud city swallow its pride…"

He looked around and spotted a dragonfly very well hidden in a corner of the room's ceiling, so he took out a Beretta 92F/FS from the raincoat's right pocket and cocked it.

"Die! You accursed traitor to the "Secret Empire"!"

He engaged the laser aim and shot three precise shots into the dragonfly, making it sparkle and fall into the ground thus shattering upon impact into several pieces and revealing its mechanical nature: the man loomed over it and crushed its remains with his right foot.

"Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!"

20:32 PM (Japan Time), Friday May the 19th…

"… Hrum."

Someone walked along pushing a blue custom-made trolley filled with empty cans of all types: a car sped past them while the person kept on pushing the trolley until it stopped in front of a can: an extensible robot arm with a simplistic four-fingered hand picked it up and suspend it atop the pile of cans.

"Hrum?"

The collector of cans was a man over a meter and eighty tall which wore a brownish coat over a purple wool shirt, a cap which covered the ears, and a mask for the cold plus fingerless gloves: they carried a bright brown bag as well.

Two spikes of grayish hair popped out behind the cap as if to indicate they were of advanced age.

A speeding car playing loud music ran past them and splashed the person with the trolley: the man pushed some buttons on a keyboard and the trolley shot a missile at the car, scaring a cat which was passing by: the man then looked up and eyed the meteor shower: they had a monocle over their right eye while their left eye had brown irises.

"... The meteor shower which was been observed during this week… It's caused by the fact that Earth is currently inside of this comet's tail. These meteors which are being observed by now are alien objects which are spawned from the comet…"

The director of a Japanese observatory was speaking to a selected audience: Hikari Yuuichirou, Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe.

"Hum. And this comet also approached Earth fifteen years ago, isn't that right?" Commissioner Kifune asked.

"True: fifteen years ago."

The director turned on the lights and turned off the projector.

"This comet is really a peculiar one amongst comets: even on closest approach it's about a 10+ magnitude. It can almost be seen by squinting, sir. A meteor shower was observed on that same time too."

"Isn't there something odd or out of place on that comet?" Yuuichirou asked.

"What are you getting at?" The director asked.

"For example… Is there any evidence which hints at it being man-made, sir?"

"Man-made? Hah, hah! That's not possible."

The director laughed and turned the display on again.

"The tail is streamed this way by the Sun as we see here and there's nothing making it different from any comet." He explained as he displayed a close-up of the comet.

"Is that so? Thank you for sparing your time, sir." Yuuichirou thanked in a polite manner.

The three persons left the observatory via the Commissioner's green car: Superintendent Manabe was the driver.

"Comets were symbolized as omens and were called "fairies" back in the old days. Is "Duo" coming to Earth once again?" She asked.

"I don't yet know if the presence of "Duo" poses a danger for the Earth. He left two "Probes" behind to monitor Earth: Oozono Yuriko and an unidentified person. Perhaps…" Yuuichirou ventured.

"I pray that it doesn't become a threat for humanity. We have way too little information regarding "Duo". But the threat of someone wanting to misuse his science, like Wily and Yoru Yami did, is very real." Kifune added with a sigh.

"Given how this resembles Duo's approach 15 years ago, I thought it could be the case but…" He trailed off.

_What exactly is "Duo"? Is he back again or…?_

09:47 AM (Japan Time), Saturday May the 20th…

"… Rock Man!"

A Cyber Soccer match was being held in "New" Internet City: two players of the rival team managed to run ahead leaving Glyde (Ayanokouji Yaito's Net Navi) unable to intercept them: he called out for Rock Man.

"Leave it to me!" Both he and Hikari Netto exclaimed at the same time.

"Battle Chip, Area Steal! Slot In!"

Rock Man warped forwards and kicked the ball out of a player's right foot, leaving the player surprised: another ran towards Rock Man so Rock Man shot it towards the left.

"Fire Arm!" The rival team player shouted.

"Ice Man!" Hikawa Tooru called out.

"Blizzard!"

The blizzard hit the Fire Arm's doll of fire and cancelled it: Rock Man spotted another rival player in front of him.

"Glyde!" He called out.

He kicked the ball to the left and Glyde picked it.

"_Nice pass_, Rock Man!"

Two rival players ran towards Glyde to try to intercept him.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura! Slot In!" Ayanokouji Yaito announced.

Both players were repelled by the Dream Aura while Glyde kicked the ball towards the goalpost but the goalkeeper saw it coming.

"Hurricane!"

The ball was shot back and passed over Glyde and heading for their field: Glyde gasped.

"_Nice_!" A rival player exclaimed as he picked the ball.

He shot it towards the goalpost where Guts Man was the goalkeeper: it turned on fire.

"Mega Guts Punch, Slot In!" Ooyama Dekao announced.

"Mega Guts Punch!"

Guts Man blocked the ball and shot it back: it skidded over the terrain while leaving a crevice on it and creating a trail of dust on its wake: the rival goalkeeper caught it and tried to hold it on place: he couldn't, and the ball was shot skywards: it fell back into the ground and someone put its foot over it.

"Ep!" Roll announced.

She pushed the ball and it slowly bounced inside of the goalpost: tThe referee blew his whistle and the rival team's players sighed on defeat.

"We did it!" Everyone exclaimed.

"BA~NZA~I!" The Operators yelled.

"Yay, de masu! Yay, yay!" Higure Yamitarou yelled inside of the real-world building.

_Heh. So you won, ladies and gentlemen. _

A man who was around 25 or 26 years old and past a meter and eighty in height was sitting amongst the audience.

He wore a brownish trench coat over a black suit with a brown tie, black pants and brown shoes plus a brown hat having a black band circling it atop his head: a pair of sunglasses covered his eyes.

He'd currently stuffed both hands on the pockets but then drew a gray and black PET with the initials "K. S." colored golden engraved on it: he turned it on and it displayed some footage of an overhead view of Netto from behind.

_I changed the carcass to make it look newer: the old one was starting to decay even… But a gentleman named "K. S." is here, right next to you gentlemen, seeing it all and hearing it all… Heh, heh, heh, heh…_

10:33 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Travelling to King Land in a private jet … How nice! De masu."

The Akihara Elementary group reached the airport and stood inside of a building's corridor: Higure had come too: but they failed to spot the raincoat man, "K. S.", looking on from close by: he was hiding behind a newspapers as he stood behind a column.

_Going back to King Land, Miss Ayanokouji? And Mr. Ooyama heads back to Jawaii… _

"You're going through Jawaii to drop off Dekao – kun, right?"

"Correct!" Yaito confirmed.

"With you two leaving it'll feel lonely 'round 'ere again…" Meiru commented.

"Whoa! Please forgive me, Meiru – chan! I'm a man who throws away love and lives for showdowns!" Dekao cried.

"Huh?" Meiru looked surprised.

"I'm sad too!"

"Again…" Yaito complained.

"Don't forget, Netto! I'll…!" Dekao began.

"…"I'll be the one to beat ya"… Niichan! I'm tired of hearing that! Chu!"

Dekao put on a bewildered face.

"HUH?"

"You really are a _one-pattern_ guy."

"Oh man!" He hung his head down.

"Heh, heh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" They laughed.

"Oh! True! Enzan sent his regards! He's really busy preparing for the release of the under-development latest PET…"

"That guy's send-offs are really impersonal and boring, aren't they?"

Her forehead sparkled and Ijuuin Enzan got half-startled by the sudden burst of light.

"What's the matter, Vice President?" An assistant asked.

"Huh… Some light flashed into my eyes… Could you lower the blinder?" He replied.

"Y-yes, sir." The assistant replied.

Enzan looked at the horizon and suddenly smiled as if realizing what the sparkling of light had been.

"No. It'll be fine. Please open it."

"Y-yes, sir. Well then…"

"… Send greetings to the dudes of Maha Niiban's!" Netto yelled as the plane flew off.

"Send us a mail from time to time!" Meiru added.

_Let's check on the Science Labs' gentlemen…_

The man switched screens to display an overhead view of the Sciencle Lab's main room: Meijin was typing into the computer when Yuuichirou entered the room.

"… Hikari - hakase. A T-level EM waves obstruction is happening."

"EM waves obstruction? When did it begin?"

"About two minutes ago." Meijin reported.

"Hakase! We have a transmission from the National Observatory."

"Please connect it." He requested.

"Hikari – hakase. I apologize for the sudden interruption." The director told them.

"No! I should be the one apologizing. Thanks for yesterday."

"Ahem. Truth is… It's about the comet of yesterday… It started emitting strange signal about two minutes and forty seconds ago." The director announced while looking at his clock.

"A strange signal?" Dr. Hikari asked.

_Back to the gentlemen._

Netto and the others were way back using Higure's car when they stumbled upon a traffic jam.

"… We stumbled upon a traffic jam here of all places? What bad luck! De masu?"

"Ah… Jeez. That's why I said we'd been able to come faster using the opposite road instead of this one…" Hikawa sighed.

"But! Tooru – kun! You said there wasn't any noticeable difference between the two of them! De masu!"

"I said that this would do fine because Higure - san missed the earlier turn. Maybe there's been an accident. It's usual in this area. Let's check over the radio."

Hikawa began to select various tuning frequencies but there only was an odd sound.

"Huh? How weird. Higure – san! This radio seems to be broken."

"What are you saying? De masu? We could hear it fine enough on the way there! De masu!" Higure replied.

"Oh! That's right! We'd been hearing it on the way up." Hikawa recalled.

Netto and Chisao looked on, surprised.

"… Freeze Man." A high-pitched voiced intoned.

Freeze Man, former general of Gospel, kneeled in front of the blurry screen which displayed Gospel Shuryou's image: a tall diamond-like structure hovered five centimeters over the ground behind him and the Cyber World was filled with snow: a blizzard blew through it.

"Yes, sir. Command me!"

"It'd seem we're about to run into trouble…" Gospel Shuryou admitted with a small sigh.

"What! Is that so…?" Freeze Man gasped.

"Thus I'll go prepare some contingency plans… I may take a few days or weeks… Continue checking on Rock Man using the diamond and the stealth camouflage but don't let them know you're there. If more interlopers show up they'll handle them."

"Roger! What about "K. S.", though?"

"Don't worry about them: it's clear that they're on the side of the Net Police and the "Net Saviors" so… They'll just look on and try to figure out what's happening." Gospel Shuryou told him.

"Roger. Good luck, sir."

"Thanks."

Gospel Shuryou disconnected the transmission and then used a computer in the Kyutenpa Research Lab to bring up imagery of the comet.

"… There's no other way around. I, Forte, need "that"…"

_Hum! Hum! I think I know what Mr. Forte wants… Well. Back at the traffic jam: what's going on there?_

"… Netto – kun! Otouto!"

Netto picked his Advanced PET II and look at Rock Man's face close-up on the screen.

_Hum… Won't Higure – san be surprised by you calling me "otouto", Saito – niisan?_

_No. He'll think we play brothers, Netto – kun. _Saito "mentally" replied.

_So… What's up? _

"I can feel a Virus' signature close by!" He exclaimed aloud.

"A Virus, you say!"

The ground started to shake all of a sudden.

"Look, Netto!" Meiru exclaimed.

The people on the cars looked astonished as a catwalk broke and fell to the ground.

"YIKES!" Netto yelled.

"What the heck! De masu!"

The ground kept on shaking.

"… What? Hikari – hakase! We've got a Virus signature within Densan City!"

One scientist had been eying the LCD screen which was displaying a street map: a red dot was marked on it.

"But this signal isn't a Cyber Space object!"

"HUH?" Yuuichirou and Meijin gasped.

_No way._ "K. S." gasped as he looked on from a green Hyundai not too far from Higure's car and using the PET.

The cause of the turmoil was revealed to be a _Giant Mettool _which was somehow walking in the real world.

"METTO~!"

"A Mettool?" Netto asked.

"That can't be! How can such a huge Virus exist?" Hikawa asked to no one in particular.

"No way! How can a Virus substantiate without a "Dimensional Area" in real space?" Meijin wondered.

"…"Duo"…!" Yuuichirou uttered.

"_Duo" can do that? I also have too little info regarding them. _

"ME~!"

The Mettool lifted its pickaxe.

"That looks bad! RUN!" Netto exclaimed.

"METTO~!"

They all got out of the car just in time, since the shockwave caused by the pickaxe broke some cars: they propelled them into the ground of a side alley and they looked at how the pickaxe had left a big dent on the ground.

"METTO~!"

_That was close!_ "K. S." had managed to escape and had reached the opposite street.

"… Commissioner! That's reckless, sir! That thing is more of a monster than a mere Virus. Asking for us to destroy it is…" Yuuichirou was arguing with Commissioner Kifune.

"But if it runs loose then the city will be in trouble, hakase!"

"I understand. We'll enclose it within a "Dimensional Area" to prevent more damage or victims."

The four "Dimensional Converter" trucks departed from the Science Labs compound.

"METTO~!"

Netto and the others made a run for it as the Mettool broke through some buildings.

"METTO~!"

The Mettool kept on walking forward.

"METTO~!"

"Ga~h!" Everyone yelled as they ran.

An IPC limo braked in front of them and Enzan opened the door: he signaled for them to get in.

"Get in! Quickly!"

"Enzan!"

_Mr. Ijuuin to the rescue!_

"METTO~!"

They quickly boarded it and escaped in the nick of time.

"METTO~!"

They sighed in relief.

"We're saved! Chu…"

"Ah! My car…! What happened to my car? De masu?" Higure wondered as he looked backwards.

"Crap! What's going on?" Netto cursed.

"Enzan – sama."

Enzan picked his PET II.

"What's up, Blues?"

"It'd seem that "Dimensional Converters" have been deployed to contain the Virus, sir."

"The Science Labs…?" Netto wondered.

"Let's buy some time before the "Converters" get here." Enzan suggested as he spotted a construction site.

Both of them climbed out of the limo and ran up to the top of the building using the exterior stairs.

"METTO~!" The Mettool sang aloud.

They reached the cranes' control panels.

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

They both maneuvered the cranes to make the steel beams they were carrying swing up and down.

"The water is sweeter over here!" Netto yelled.

"METTO~?"

They caught its attention since it began to head over there.

"Well done, niisan." Netto commented as looked on from the balcony.

"Yup!"

"Oi! Enzan! I'm counting on ya!" He yelled.

"Leave it up to me!" Enzan confirmed.

"METTO~?"

The Mettool was approaching the crane cable with the steel beams.

"Now! Blues!" Enzan yelled.

Blues maneuvered the second crane: the steel beams hit the back of the Mettool's hard hat and made a dent on it.

"ME… TTO~!"

They lost balance and crashed against the building.

"Did that do it?" Enzan wondered.

However, the Mettool turned around, confused.

"What a thick head… Netto!"

"Niisan! Drop the steel beam into the guy!" Netto told him.

"Roger, Netto – kun! Otouto!"

Saito let loosened the wire and the beams hit the top part of the hard hat causing some damage this time around.

"ME… TTO~!"

The Virus lost balance and inclined backwards.

"Now! Niisan! Enzan!"

"Blues: hook it!" He ordered.

They hooked it using both cranes.

"Go for it!" Netto encouraged.

The cranes lifted the Mettool above the ground.

"ME… ME… METTO~?"

"This did it!" Netto exclaimed.

"The "Converters" have arrived!" Enzan told him.

The "Dimensional Converters" arrived and the Mettool kept on moving while hooked.

"METTO… METTO… METTO~!"

His weight was threatening to break one crane.

"Niisan!" Netto yelled.

Saito engaged the crane and let the Virus hit the ground, hard.

"METTO~!"

"Dimensional Area: activate!" Yuuichirou ordered.

The trucks formed a "Dimensional Area" around the compound.

"Success, sir!" One scientist reported.

"Hakase! Netto – kun and Enzan – kun… They both are in the area!" Meijin reported.

"What?" Yuuichirou was surprised.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Both "Net Saviors" performed "Cross Fusion" and faced the Mettool, which had recovered from the blow.

"ME~…!"

_Beat them, gentlemen._ "K. S." looked on from a corner of the compound and hidden behind a debris container.

"Rock Buster!"

"METTO~!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"ME~!"

None of the attacks inflicted noticeable damage: both of them were unaware of Gospel Shuryou eyeing them from the top of a crane: the Mettool lost balance and crashed face first into the ground.

_Hey! Mr. Forte's there! How odd: he didn't send Freeze Man to check it out? Ah! The earlier muttering… Maybe he wants "that"? Like in "my story"…? But for other reasons…?_

"METTO~!"

"DOUBLE PROGRAM ADVANCE!"

"Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"Aqua, Elect, Bamboo, Flame Sword! Slot In! Elemental Sword!" "CF" Blues exclaimed.

"METTO~!"

The Mettool broke down into raw and the "Dimensional Area" deactivated while Gospel Shuryou looked on.

"Hmpf."

He warped away while Enzan picked up his PET.

"Good work, Blues." Enzan congratulated.

"Huh? Rock Man? Hey! Niisan? Answer me! Saito – niisan! Niiasn! SAITO – NIISA~N!" Netto was yelling to the PET, which was empty.

_What? Mr. Hikari Sr. didn't return to the PET? How's that? Ah! Mr. Forte's handiwork…? _

"… YA~H!"

Something had pulled Rock Man into a vortex and made him fall towards an unknown destination: he fell until he hit the ground, hard, somewhere in the Cyber World: he then managed to stand up.

"Where am I…?" He wondered.

"Saito." A voice called out from behind him.

Rock Man turned and froze: Forte was standing there.

"Forte! I see! You created the Virus! You materialized it and sent it into the real world?"

"Wrong." Forte simply replied.

"Wrong?" He frowned.

"But! There's no doubt that Earth is confronting an unprecedented threat… A calamity which will engulf the Cyber World…"

"An unprecedented threat?

"Its outcome… I don't know what'll happen to humanity but… But having the Cyber World engulfed too is unpleasant."

"Just who is that enemy?" Rock Man questioned next.

Forte "vanished" and appeared behind him while closing his right arm around his neck.

"My bad, Saito. I'll be taking your "Ultimate Program"…"

"What?" Saito asked while trying to break free.

"… Saito has vanished?" Yuuichirou was stunned by Netto's news.

"… He didn't come back to the PET after we released the "Cross Fusion"!" Netto reported.

"Blues! Search for Saito." Enzan commanded.

Blues left the PET II and used a public phone to enter the Cyber World.

"I need power to combat the approaching threat. By combining the two "Ultimate Programs" you and I have… I'll be able to evolve into an even stronger existence!"

_That sounds something ripped off some _anime_… _

A simplistic Net Navi colored orange save for the boots and forearms and having a gray helmet with black shades was looking into the scene from a distance using binoculars: its first-person viewing was relayed to the screen of the PET "K. S." had as he looked on the "Net Saviors" from a nearby street.

"Pharaoh Man's selfishness never left you, huh?"

He threw Forte forward using one _judo_-like maneuver and he gracefully landed in front of him.

"… Where are you? Saito!"

Blues was speeding across the Networks around the area his friend had vanished while calling out for him: Netto's PET beeped.

"Niisan…?" He wondered.

He took it out of the pouch: a map with a beacon appeared onscreen.

"A map." Enzan announced.

"Niisan is here, then?" Netto wondered.

"Rock Buster!"

Rock Man was trying to keep Forte at bay: Forte "flickered" and "vanished" every time he tried to shot while he kept on moving forward without being surprised.

"Come on, Saito. Hand over your "Ultimate Program" sans protest."

"Shut up!" Saito scowled.

Forte suddenly crated several copies which surrounded Rock Man: it was not possible to know which one was the true one since every time he shot one it regenerated immediately afterwards.

_Who sent them that beacon, anyway?_ "K. S." wondered as he switched screens to check on the two guys.

Netto and Enzan had reached the nearby playground: it was empty and deserted.

"Should be around here... How's Saito's signal?" Enzan asked.

"Nothing at all…" Netto muttered.

They heard a strange noise and turned to see the man with the trolley: the trolley picked one empty can up with its robotic arm.

"…"Duo"… "Duo" has put forth the judgment of Earth Erasure."

"Who are you?" Netto asked him.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Have you forgotten my face, Hikari Netto?"

"Huh!" Netto gasped.

_Oh my. So he showed up. _"K. S." grinned.

"However… This is the first time we met in person, Ijuuin Enzan…" The man continued.

"Huh!" Enzan gasped next.

"Well then! The "Probes" which Duo left behind fifteen years ago… True… Maybe if I say that I am Oozono Yuriko's foster parent you will get it?"

"Could it be…?" Enzan uttered.

"It can't be…!" Netto gasped.

He recalled an image of Dr. Wily standing atop a set of stairs and then turning: his mental image had him dressed with the coat he'd sported when leading the WWW.

"Dr. Wily!" They both yelled.

"Wrong… The genius evil scientist: Dr. Wily! Fifteen years ago… Duo, who'd come flying with his comet…" He took off the cap and mask.

_Let's listen to his tale._

"… So as to monitor Earth and the Earthlings, he picked two humans which would be appointed as his "Probes" from the victims of a plane crash, and granted them a new life."

_The remains of the plane floated on the ocean's surface when two unidentified objects plummeted into the ocean as falling from the skies: they surrounded two bodies, one of a little girl and the other of a man while casting a white light around them._

_Some footsteps had been left behind in a beach somewhere and both of them had been washed up there: Wily stepped into the area and gazed upon the two persons. _

_The man looked on his twenties, with black hair which reached past his neck's base: he wore a brown sleeveless sweater having blue edges around the neck and the cuffs over a teal long-sleeved shirt and pants of the same coloring plus shoes._

_The girl had brown hair which formed _croissant_ buns on both sides of the head and wore a pink wool sweater plus a blackish skirt, white stocking and black shoes: she didn't seem to be older than six or seven years old._

_Wily had carefully picked the girl and lifted her. _

"I succeeded in decoding the genes of the two who were revamped as "Probes". And thus I got a small glimpse of Duo's super – chemistry power."

"Just who is this "Duo"?" Netto asked.

"An extraterrestrial Net Navi created by scientific planet hundreds of light-years away from Earth in past ages…!"

"An extraterrestrial Net Navi?" Enzan asked.

"Duo's command was to investigate and monitor all types of planets found across the Universe… And erase planets deemed "dangerous" to the overall Universe… And, now, 15 years later… Duo has put forth the judgment of Earth Erasure!"

_Earth Erasure! I have a bad feeling about that! _"K. S." gasped as he heard on their conversation.

"… Yoru Yami realized that one step ahead and thus encompassed the whole of Earth within a "Dimensional Area"…"

"Ah!" Both gasped.

_What! So that was Cousin's goal? Prevent Duo's arrival?_

"Apart from filling humanity with terror and fear it also was meant to be a "barrier" to prevent Duo's approach! Since if Duo erased Earth then there'd be nothing left!" He continued.

_By all the… Huh! Mr. Hikari. Sr. looks like he's in trouble!_

Forte jumped towards Rock Man all of a sudden: Rock Man looked panicked and his "Ultimate Program" started to resonate: Blues noticed the fact and gasped in surprise while looking around as if to get his bearings.

"His "Ultimate Program" is resonating?" He wondered.

Enzan's PET suddenly beeped.

"Enzan – sama, sir! I can feel Saito's signature, sir. I'm heading for the scene, sir!" He reported.

"Enzan!" Netto rallied.

"I should be leaving… Earth's end is close by. There's nothing sweet left to find here." Wily announced while turning around.

"Wily!" Netto gasped.

Netto tried to stop him, but, to their surprise, the trolley flied upwards using two jets: Wily sat onboard it.

"Hikari Netto: a present for Hikari Yuuichirou!"

He tossed a can of juice and Netto caught it.

"What the…? This is mere juice!" Netto protested.

"Be sure to give it to him from me!" Wily insisted.

The trolley stooped ascending and a rocket propelled it forward towards the horizon.

"What was this about?" He wondered.

"Let's move out." Enzan suggested.

"… Yeah." Netto agreed on it.

Rock Man fell into the ground, exhausted, and Forte smiled while looking rather lustful.

"Huff, huff…" Blues ran towards the scene

"Huff, huff…" Netto and Enzan also did the same.

_Crap! You must hurry, gentlemen!_

The comet kept on moving forward across the blackness of the space: its mere presence seemed to announce a forthcoming calamity.

_I dare to distract them or not…? Well. This Navi is just my avatar: an extension of my surveillance tools…_

Forte kept on looking at the unconscious Rock Man.

_Enjoying the feeling of victory?_

"Huff, huff…" Blues kept on running.

"Huff, huff…" Netto and Enzan also kept on running.

"Hmpf." Forte put up a smug smile.

He stood still looming over Rock Man.

_Let devil bite me: that's Forte! _

Freeze Man had gotten inside of the "diamond" which was invisible and was looking over there: the inside had several screens displaying what was going on outside.

_Will they make it on time to stop him or…?_


	2. Chapter 2: Earth Erasure

**Chapter 2: Earth Erasure**

12:11 PM (Japan Time), Saturday May the 20th…

"… Hmpf."

Forte crouched besides Rock Man's limp body and started to absorb the energy of his "Ultimate Program" while smiling.

_Sorry, Saito. But I need the power…_

"Forte!"

He turned and barely dodged Blues' incoming attack: it hit the floor and formed some dust while Blues crouched next to Rock Man.

"You lowlife! What have you done to Saito?" He demanded with obvious mistrust.

"My… Nice to see you back to normal, Blues. Step aside. I'll confront you in a more throughout way later." Forte replied with a hint of sarcasm although his face was hidden by the cloak.

"Your goal is Saito's "Ultimate Program"?" Blues demanded.

"… True… And your own "Ultimate Program" too…"

"I refuse!" Blues shot back while swinging the sword.

"Hmpf. Guess so! Well then! I'll pick yours firstly." Forte shrugged.

"Do you think you can?" Blues challenged.

Blues took out another sword before he began to spin around and created a red spiral which advanced towards Forte.

_That's a new technique! _Freeze Man thought.

"What a childish trick..." He muttered.

Forte shot an energy sphere and it broke the spiral but there was no one left there and it only hit the floor instead: he gasped in surprise.

"Oh! He fled?" He wondered aloud while looking around.

_Get to a safe place: that guy isn't trustable! _

Blues ran forward while carrying Rock Man's inert body.

"Enzan – sama, sir! I rescued Saito, sir. The culprit is Forte, sir!" Blues reported.

Blues suddenly came to a halt as the culprit appeared in front of him, cutting his route.

"I said it before: the "Ultimate Programs" are useless to you two. You don't realize their high value." He announced.

He shot three yellow-colored energy shots in the form of a shockwave cutting through and knocked both of them to the ground: Saito began to stir.

"Let's go!" Forte announced as he jumped forward.

"Che! Sword!"

Blues took a Sword Battle Chip but Forte grabbed the blade with one hand and broke it with ease, unimpressed.

"Hmpf! Is that all?"

He grabbed Blues' neck and squeezed.

"I need power. Power to battle the so-called Extraterrestrial Net Navi Duo."

Rock Man stirred and awakened: he gasped when seeing Forte absorbing Blues' "Ultimate Program".

"Blues! Rock Buster!"

He tried to shot several shots from his Rock Buster but Forte blocked them in the air next to him.

"Don't be so hasty, Saito… You're next."

Forte returned the shots to him and he flew back a meter or two: one of the yellow rectangles on his helmet's forehead shone.

_Netto – kun! Otouto!_

_About time, gentlemen! Things are awry there. _"K. S." thought as he looked on.

Both Netto and Enzan had established connection from a public phone.

"We've come, niisan!"

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura, Area Steal! Slot In!"

Blues broke free of the chokehold and warped next to Rock Man.

"Enzan – sama. That guy's goal is the "Ultimate Programs", sir."

_The "Ultimate Programs"? _Netto wondered.

"Go, Blues! Battle Chip, Variable Sword! Slot In!"

_Netto – kun! Give me a Chip too!_

_Gotcha!_

"Soul Unison, Blues Soul! Slot In!"

"Sonic Boom!"

Blues tried to attack Forte, who jumped and maneuvered on the air, landing in a graceful manner.

"Hell's Rolling!"

Blues Soul Rock Man jumped in front of the indented purple wheels and stopped them with a Variable Sword.

"Air Burst!"

Forte shot a sphere of energy towards them but both dodged.

"SONIC BOOM!"

Forte fled and both stood there, surprised, as their attacks flew past the guy's position and hit the floor close by.

_Hum! They ran… They're not THAT strong, then! Heh!_

12:48 PM (Japan Time)…

_Well then, our gentlemen have come to the Science Labs and are now checking that juice can courtesy of Dr. Wily…_

A laser was scanning Wily's juice can inside of one of the Science Labs' safe rooms while Netto looked at a photo some months old of the man.

"His look had more or less changed compared to this photo but it was the guy in the flesh." Netto commented.

"Dr. Wily's quite the surprise…" His father muttered.

"We never found out what happened to him after the "Gospel Incident"… He was alive, then…" Commissioner Kifune concluded.

"So? He gave you that canned juice?" Manabe asked.

"Yes. He told us: "make sure to hand it over to Hikari – hakase"…" Enzan replied.

"Okay! There's no danger of it blowing up." Meijin announced after the scan was complete.

Everyone stood at a safe distance while a robot arm opened the can: a small smoke hologram popped out.

"Glory to the WWW!" Wily proclaimed.

The hologram vanished and everyone looked skeptical.

"That's all…?" Netto muttered.

_I share your skepticism, gentlemen. I don't think Dr. Wily would've bothered to insist were it not that there's a trick to this can._

All of them were sitting inside of the briefing room a few minutes later.

"The problem is Duo… According to Wily… He wants to bestow judgment in the form of Earth Erasure." Yuuichirou announced.

"Earth Erasure?" Manabe asked.

"Hum… It's hard to believe in that type of story but..." Kifune muttered.

"Duo is investigating the Universe. They are an extraterrestrial Net Navi programmed to erase "dangerous" planets." Enzan summed up in a few words.

_Good summary._

"Forte also said it: the Earth is facing an unprecedented threat." Rock Man added.

"The reason why he was after our "Ultimate Programs" was to gain power so to fight Duo." Blues summarized.

"Given the result of the surveillance of these fifteen years which Yuriko and that other man carried out, Duo has labeled Earth as a "dangerous planet", then…" Meijin summarized.

"_That other man"… Yes, I know their name… Maybe you'll eventually learn about it, too…_

"Don't joke around! A Net Navi from another planet bestowing judgment upon the Earth's future… Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai_." Meijin replied as he held up his palms.

"The Outer Space Development Center once transferred Rock Man to a base in the moon some time ago. Didn't they? Meijin - san?" Netto reminded him.

_Yes, yes. I remember that affair: it was dangerous because Commander Beef's life was at stake back then._

Meijin sighed and Manabe inwardly giggled.

"It was during the Planet Man affair." He admitted.

"I discussed it with Enzan a while ago… Using the same method… Couldn't we have Rock Man and Blues to Plug - In into Duo's comet?" Netto brought up.

"Have Rock Man and Blues…?" Yuuichirou muttered.

_Ah! So there is a way to tackle this threat? Good, good!_

13:19 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Hyper route: check."

"I am commencing the check."

A route was established using a satellite to relay the signal using the computers of the Outer Space Development Center: Meijin, Yuuichirou, Netto, Enzan, Kifune and Manabe had come.

"Hyper route check: O.K."

"By using a satellite as one relay, we can send Rock Man and Blues into the comet. But! Ahead of it there'll be a Cyber Space which we know nothing about." Yuuichirou announced.

"Will it be dangerous?" Netto asked.

"I can't guarantee their safety." Yuuichirou warned.

"Enzan – sama. I've always know that danger lies ahead but please send me there, sir." Blues requested.

"Blues…" Enzan looked surprised.

_Netto – kun, otouto… I wouldn't feel good if we got erased by doing nothing… If there's something I can do then I'm going to do it! _Saito told him.

_Saito – niisan…_

The two guards eyed a suspicious person.

"Who are you, sir?" One asked.

"Unless you're connected to them then entrance is forbidden." The other added.

"If you don't have authorization, you can't cross past this point..."

However, Gospel Shuryou did not accept orders from anyone, so he simply shoved them aside.

"I can go to that guy's place from here, huh…" He muttered.

_Mr. Forte! You're a bit brusque, aren't you? _"K. S." thought.

"… Preparations: complete." Meijin announced.

"Netto, Saito, Enzan – kun." Yuuichirou called out.

"Plug In! Blues…!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE…!"

There was an explosion and Gospel Shuryou walked in.

"Forte!" Netto exclaimed.

One man tried to tackle him.

"This guy…!"

"Out of the way." He told him.

Gospel only needed to use his right arm to propel him to the left and make him hit a wall: the man slid down to the ground.

"Don't come closer! That guy is not a human!" Meijin warned.

Gospel walked towards the console so Netto, Enzan and Yuuichirou stepped asides: the body shone with a red light as Gospel broke a panel: he picked some wires and the robot body started to shine.

"Is he trying to Plug-In?" Dr. Hikari realized.

Forte roared as electricity travelled down the left hand and through the wires: he then appeared on the access tunnel and, still roaring, he shot forward.

"The plugged in Forte is travelling uplink via the hyper route!" Meijin reported.

"He intends to fight Duo!" Netto exclaimed.

There was a warning beep.

"Another energy body has been detected!" Meijin warned.

"What?" Yuucihirou exclaimed.

Something appeared in front of Forte as he travelled across the hyper tunnel: it looked like a beam of energy which engulfed Forte and the console exploded, propelling the empty shell and Netto and Enzan to the ground.

"Enzan – kun!" Manabe gasped.

"Netto – kun!" Kifune gasped.

"We're alright." Enzan reported.

"W-what exactly happened…?" Netto wondered.

One technician held a fire extinguisher and aimed it towards the console while another was checking on the empty shell.

"Please check the status of the damage as first priority."

"Hakase!" Meijin warned.

The screen was filled with static for a moment and a new Net Navi appeared on-screen.

This Net Navi could easily be over a meter and eighty tall.

Its helmet design didn't look like a helmet to begin with: the forehead was covered by a diamond-shaped green-colored piece of armor from which two tall and white "antennae" emerged in a 45º inclination: something which looked like a mass of hair colored green formed behind the helmet and expanded downwards in a cone-like manner.

The face's skin was normal and the shape was rather feminine yet a bit androgynous at the same time.

Its upper body had a white cloth similar to a sweater with three parallel stripes set on its surface running down its length until it ended half-way across the torso.

The shoulders had greenish four-speared stars built into them and two large white sleeves which extended way past the total length of the arms extended from there: they looked thick and like they had some extra mass inside: they formed shapes reminiscent of the Alphabet "L" character.

The hands emerged from two oval-shaped cavities just where the sleeves formed a 45º turn to aim SW and SE: they were covered in white "gloves" or "skin" and were currently closed.

The rest of the body was colored green and looked like a one-piece suit extending until the middle half of the upper body: two greenish/yellowish stripes ran down the sides of the torso until the hips.

Two greenish/yellowish diamonds were drawn around the knees followed by oval-shaped patterns which ended in a triangle on the ankle: the Navi didn't have the typical boots and the legs ended like they were pants which were larger than usual.

Some light radiated from the Navi's silhouette and made them stand out while emitting a powerful sensation.

"A Net Navi…" Netto muttered.

The Navi opened its eyes: their irises were reddish in color and their gaze was that of a hostile one.

"Who are you? Are you "Duo"?" Dr. Hikari questioned.

"My name is Slur." The Navi calmly stated.

"Slur?" Enzan wondered.

"I respond to the will of the great judge Duo." She announced.

"Duo's? Then, I have a question. Does Duo plan on bestowing the punishment of "Earth Erasure"?" Kifune questioned.

Slur kept her eyes closed for some seconds before replying.

"It is true. Duo will erase Earth." She politely announced.

The people in the control center gasped.

"Don't say selfish things!"

"All is the will of Duo."

"Shooting Star!" A familiar voice yelled off-screen.

Slur dodged a shot and they eyed Forte, who was onscreen.

"Oh! Forte!" Netto gasped.

"I will defeat Duo. And I'll take in Duo's power!" He claimed.

"How foolish." Slur smiled.

"Earth Breaker!"

Forte built up a sphere of yellowish energy on his right hand: Slur blocked the attack with only one arm without sweating while Yuuichirou was trying to repair the console.

"Just what's going on over there?" Enzan wondered.

"What's the status like?" Kifune asked.

"I need a while to repair this."

Manabe's PET beeped.

"Yes, Manabe… Yes, yes… What did you say? Trouble, Commissioner! Gigantic Viruses have substantiated all over the world! They're destroying the cities!" She reported.

"What!" Kifune gasped.

In effect: giant Viruses were wrecking it all around the area: gigantic Garuus set fire to the city while a gigantic shrimp Virus destroyed a tanker by jumping into its body.

"Duo's "Earth Erasure" has started?" Enzan wondered while looking at Manabe's PET.

"Hakase! Please deploy a "Dimensional Area" as barrier around the Outer Space Center to repel a Virus assault. We won't be able to send Rock Man and Blues to the comet if this place is destroyed!" Kifune announced.

"I understand. Meijin! Send out the request for "Dimensional Converters"."

"Yes, sir!"

Forte was not giving up.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Forte formed a purplish blade on his right forearm and ran on forward but Slur dodged it with ease by flipping across the air and then stopping behind Forte.

_This is bad. That Navi can counter each of their moves! _"K. S." made a grimace upon looking at the scene.

The gigantic Viruses caused havoc all over the world: one Virus showed up in a city in Sharo Nation: Laika got into the scene just in time to save a little kid from it and looked on with frustration, unable to do anything since it could even intercept army planes.

_Hell!_

A man on his late 20s or early 30s having blonde hair and brown irises was standing next to a small chopper and eyeing gigantic spider-like Viruses causing havoc without being seemingly concerned: he had a smug smile on his face.

He was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt with cyan dots and patterns on it, a red scarf, a teal brown coat wrapped around his waist, jeans and brown boots along with smoke sunglasses over his eyes plus gloves

_Hum._

A group of Spark Bees floated across a gas stand next to a road somewhere in a nocturnal timeframe.

A young man (who was surely younger than 15) looked on with an expression of angst on him: his eyes' irises were brown and his hair was reddish in color: he had two narrow white stripes below his eyes stretching outwards.

He wore a bandana with green diamonds over a brighter green background, some white decorative pieces at the end of his hair strings, a navy blue hood and a blue handkerchief having a red edge and small white straws of silk coming out of its edge.

The rest of his clothes were a blue jumper with long sleeves having some kind of drawing stitched over the lower edge of the jumper: he also had shorts of the same color on him and wore sneakers colored brown and lush green plus having gray soils.

Lastly, he carried some beads tied into a string attached to the right lower edge of his jumper and three reddish feathers with a brownish end to them.

Overall he seemed to be of Indian Ameroupe affiliation.

_What!_

A young girl (who surely wasn't over 14 yet) was standing in front of a building somewhere in Asia and staring at some Viruses crawling all over its outer surface.

The girl's hair was colored black and was neatly arranged while being rolled into two spring rolls shapes beneath the ears: her eyes had a tint of brown to them too.

She wore a simple one-piece white suit with a red-edged skirt reaching past her knees: the sleeves reached all the way to the sleeves and had red cuffs on them while the neck area was also colored red.

She sported white socks and thick black wooden platform shoes which looked hand-made and simplistic.

She carried a lot of stuff: a black moden backpack, a hewn handbag with a leather strap plus a small pouch with something inside of it attached to the handbag plus a short wooden container to carry something hanging from her neck and, lastly, a hand-made umbrella colored in a brownish color.

She looked like some sort of old times' traveler even.

_Huh…_

Giant Mettols walked across the streets of a city.

"METTO~!"

An elderly man (hinted by his grayish long hair and the form of his jaw and nose) sitting on a wheelchair inside of an apartment spotted a gigantic Killer Eye flying across the front of his window in the evening light: he wore a brownish coat with different tones of brown scattered at random over it, a simplistic grayish shirt below it, a dog-tag hanging from his neck and a brown coat over the legs.

He held a new model of PET which had a mainly horizontal oval form plus an LCD screen on the middle of it: the border was lower directly over and below the screen while it seemed to be thicker for the rest of the PET.

The PET had a main round button on the SW side of it which included a command pad: another three buttons were set forming a triangle over this one: the right side had a small dome with the owner's crest (a single hollow horizontal stripe with two small triangles aiming down and up set at the upper and lower edges: the whole set was colored using a metallic gray color) plus two small closed white-colored plastic hatches.

Overall, it looked practical and smooth, yet it had an ugly-looking diagonal crack starting near the screen's NW edge and spanning until the lower edge of the device.

_H-huh…_

Jellyfish-like Viruses flied across the sky in front of a gigantic skyscraper somewhere in the world.

A woman was looking on and holding cup of wine on her right hand with an amused look to her face: she seemed to be on her late 20s or early 30s and sported magnet ear-rings plus having a long mass of brown hair splitting into two tails running down her body's back.

She wore a red blouse with a black edge.

_Heh._

Princess Pride watched from the palace with an expression of angst on her face: she wore a white royal suit today but looked about to cry.

_Oh no…!_

A Fire Dragon Virus was causing trouble around the Akihara City area as well: Netto's friends spotted it flying across the air.

"A Fire Dragon!" Meiru exclaimed.

"A worldwide Virus wild attack!" Hikawa exclaimed with obvious surprise.

"I-it's coming over here! Chu!" Chisao warned.

Meiru, Hikawa, Chisao and Shuuko ran for their lives while the Virus landed in front of Higureya and eyed Higure running around the store while the Chips fell off the shelves.

"… Ah! The Chips are falling! De masu! Ah! They Chips are falling! De masu! A~H!" He yelled in despair.

Another pack of Viruses (Mettols, jellyfishes, mushrooms, Spark Bees and Killer Eyes) was laying wreck to nearby streets.

"METTO~!"

Wily calmly walked around and threw a smoke grenade in the shape of a can to a Garuu Virus which was chasing him: the smoke somehow defeated the Virus while Wily grumbled something under his breath as he kept on walking, unimpressed.

_Bothersome Duo…_

"… Darkness Overload!"

The purple-colored stream of energy hit Slur fully given how she hadn't bothered to dodge: she was nowhere to be seen when the smoke of the blast cleared: Forte wasn't surprised either.

"You vanished, eh?" He guessed.

Some strange wires with a metallic cylinder at their end suddenly emerged from some yellowish spots which formed on his body and tied him all of a sudden.

"What!"

_I don't like the looks of that. _"K. S." gulped.

Forte spotted an energy sphere colored pale blue moving towards him: the impact kicked him backwards while the energy sphere assumed the shape of Slur.

"The one to vanish is your person. Do not return twice. Go to the Reverse Cyber World." She dully announced.

Forte reached the beginning of the tunnel and blasted through the floor of the Cyber World, falling towards the Reverse Cyber World: the breaking of the Cyber World caused a tremor on the control center.

"Forte has been done in…!" Netto muttered.

"Forte…!" Saito gasped.

Alarms blared all over the place: the Viruses were demolishing the premises.

"We're late!" Kifune cursed.

"The "Converters" have now arrived." Meijin announced.

"Let's go, Enzan!" Netto rallied.

"Please deploy the "Dimensional Area"!" Enzan requested.

The "Dimensional Area" formed around the buildings.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The two "Cross Fusion" members started to fight the Viruses with skill and precision.

"Volcano Cannon!"

"Wind Pressure Sword!"

A spider Virus moved to attack them but some strange electricity discharge formed in the dome of the "Dimensional Area" and hit the Virus, deleting it: all Viruses began to vanish and everything around them became white.

"Oh!"

"What in the…?" "CF" Blues wondered.

They were standing in what could be considered outer space a second later.

"Where… are we?" "CF" Netto wondered.

"Look, Netto!"

There was a planet in front of them: it looked like the Earth but they could only see one continent.

"Earth?" "CF" Netto asked.

"No, but… It looks similar…"

Something shone on the bottom right corner and small white ripples travelled across the planet: both gasped as the ripples were followed by a strange energy mass which seemed to be eroding the whole planet.

"What are you both? Net Navi? Human?" A manly voice echoed all around them.

A white spiraling mass of energy formed inside of the planet and expanded, momentarily blinding them: they turned around and they ended up staring at a gigantic being.

This being was a giant easily close to ten meters tall: his main body was a white spheroid sans legs and having an octagon-shaped blue metallic edge set close to the lower edge of his body: several golden-colored rods aimed inwards until they ended at the bottom of the cavity which had a navy blue circle inside of it: a golden pattern reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "Y" formed on both sides of the cavity and circled the body.

Three "levels" of circles which became smaller as they climbed formed the neck: the middle section had blue-colored trapeze-shaped formations scaled on it.

The head was cylindrical in form: the eyes were hexagonal in shape, being set inside of black cavities and didn't have irises: these eyes were colored white thus not discerning any emotion:

A nose was built below them while his mouth was a mere thin line incapable of moving.

Blue armor was built on the inner edge of the head starting around the eyes' cavities: a red diamond had been placed over his forehead surrounded by grayish edges which were part of a circular band spanning the whole diameter of the large head.

Two "horns" sprouted from the sides of the head while aiming upwards: the inner edge was tinted using a blackish metallic color while the outer edge was white.

His shoulders were gigantic spheroids with two blackish metallic thorns coming out of the right one and aiming south and north: armor had been added there and it circled half of the shoulder.

The left one, by comparison, had a red dome-shaped object set on it surrounded by that same armor.

His arms didn't have elbows on them and ended on gigantic hands having blue armor over them: the wrist was decorated with golden stripes aiming northwards: the section before the fingers had a three-point goldenrod star symbol set on them: the fingers were colored white.

Overall its mere presence was commanding and imposing.

"Who…?" "CF" Blues asked.

"My name is Duo." The great being replied.

"Duo?"

The humans in the control center were baffled to the fact that both "Cross Fusion" fighters and the Viruses had vanished.

"Where are those two?" Kifune asked.

"Thing is… We can't see them anywhere!" Meijin admitted.

Yuucihirou clenched his teeth.

"… That planet…" "CF" Blues started, but Duo cut him.

"I destroyed it by my programming's commands." Duo announced.

"You plan on doing the same to Earth?" "CF" Netto questioned.

"You humans' flawed-evolution Network has to be corrected."

"Flawed-evolution, you say?" "CF" Blues asked.

"Look at the Earth."

Duo brought up a large holographic screen showing images from the Nebula Crisis: the worldwide "Dimensional Area" forming, the gigantic mechanic monster Twilight had piloted and the partial erasure of Internet City because of that UFO.

"Humanity misuses the Network and ends up facing destruct several destructive crises. That is similar to my planet."

"…"My planet"? Could it be? That planet was your home-planet…?" "CF" Blues realized.

"Enzan… What does that mean?" "CF" Netto asked him.

"You even destroyed the planet in which you were born at!" "CF" Blues was astonished.

"My programming commanded me to. They were a planet whose civilization's Network technology was transcendental. But you existences like you two are a first. Are you beings Net Navis? Humans?" Duo demanded.

"Are you talking about our "Cross Fusion"?" "CF" Blues grasped.

"CF" Netto didn't stop looking nervous and gasping, switching between looking at Duo and "CF" Blues.

"What is "Cross Fusion"?" Duo demanded again.

"…"Cross Fusion" is the fusion of Net Navis and humans." "CF" Blues said.

"The fusion of Net Navis and humans…" He calmly muttered.

"We Navis are friends with the humans!" Rock Man declared.

"…"Cross Fusion" is the proof of that strength!" Blues added.

"Those like Wily or Twilight… There are criminals of the Cyber World. But! We've overcome several crises thanks to this strength!" "CF" Netto tried to explain.

"If you say that you intend to destroy Earth then…" "CF" Blues began saying.

They drew their default weapons.

"Duo! We will fight you!" "CF" Netto declared.

"Hold back!" A feminine voice commanded.

Some light spears rained down around them and they could a sphere of energy which shaped into Slur: she then floated on top of Duo's right shoulder.

"…"Cross Fusion"… How powerful is this strength? I want to witness this planet's future." Duo declared.

"Witness the future?" "CF" Netto gasped.

"I will grant you "Duo's Crest". This is a trial aimed at humanity!"

"Trial?" "CF" Blues asked.

Duo suddenly shone and a blue energy wave hit them: they tried to shield themselves but everything suddenly became white: the comet's brightness began to fade and it vanished altogether: the Viruses vanished and the damage caused was repaired while everyone stared in awe: Laika looked on from the town.

"O-oh…!" He gasped.

_W-what just happened? Time was rewound? _"K. S." gasped as he looked at the outside of the Outer Space Development Center.

Both boys were lying in the ground: Netto could see a strange mark appearing on his right hand's palm so he tried to have a closer look at it.

_What the heck is this?_

This drawing had a general shape reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "V" but it had two short rectangular extensions close to the base aiming outwards and two small triangles on the inner sides: these triangles were aiming towards a hollow diamond set in the center of the opening: the whole thing was colored black.

"This is…?" He wondered.

The mark vanished without trace all of a sudden.

"Netto… Are you OK?" Enzan asked.

"Ah… Yeah."

The two of them stood up and picked their PETs.

"Netto – kun!" Rock Man called out.

"Enzan – sama." Blues called out.

Rock Man smiled along with Netto and they stared at the skies with a slight look of satisfaction to them.

_Well. I'm not really sure what happened but it'd seem Duo has spared us for the time being… No wonder "Cousin V" was so eager to divert them from their approach with Earth in "my story"! Seeing at what they can do without having to move a finger even…!_

"… Blueprints?"

Meijin, Kifune, Yuuichirou and Manabe had gathered in the Science Labs some hours later as evening began to set in: Kifune had been the one to ask Yuuichirou the question.

"True! This empty can's surface has some blueprints engraved on it which can only be examined by electronic microscopes!"

He displayed them over the LCD screen.

"The variant of "Dimensional Converters"… The "Dimensional Generator"!" He announced.

"…The "Dimensional Generator"?" Manabe asked.

"If we complete it then it'll become quite handy during future "Cross Fusion" fights!" Meijin announced.

"But why would THE Dr. Wily…?" The Commissioner wondered.

Wily was glancing at the night skies.

"Hmpf! Like I'd let Duo go and erase us… I want to have some thrill with you, anyway… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Netto and Enzan stared at the night sky from a roof somewhere: "K. S." was looking on from close by too.

"The comet, you say?" Enzan asked him.

"Yeah. I see it. Duo's comet should've gotten away from Earth already…"

"Bizarre… I can't see a thing…" Enzan admitted.

"Like he's monitoring Earth…" Netto ventured.

"Will Duo carry out Earth Erasure?"

"Who knows? I don't really get it… But we'll be fine if we fight with the "Cross Fusion". We'll take on his "trial" thing." Netto told him with a broad smile.

_Yeah! If it's just fighting an opponent then we can do that. _Saito sounded confident of it, too.

_Speaking of opponents… _Netto suddenly frowned and trailed off.

_Yeah? What's up, otouto?_ Saito asked.

_I wonder if we'll meet _that man_ again…_ Netto wondered.

… "_K. S."… Yeah, I wonder… But he likely ain't a bad guy so…_

Enzan smiled and they kept on looking at the skies.

_Well! It'd seem there'll be some "trial" to take on… Go for it, gentlemen! If it's you two then you can beat anything! Heh, heh, heh… I'll be watching and trying to help you gentlemen while I can… Show that Duo guy what stuff we're made of! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_


	3. Chapter 3: Threat of the Asteroid

**Chapter 3: Threat of the Asteroid**

09:20 AM (Japan Time), Saturday May the 27th…

"… In the name of the grand Duo… Humanity will face a trial…"

Slur stood atop a square cyan platform set on the center of a Cyber World made of several rings which rotated or followed a path on the background while other larger ones were built atop and below the platform: her eyes were closed and she slowly opened them before she smiled in a creepy manner.

"… It's O.K. to open it?"

Netto was standing in front of Enzan's desk and gulping: Enzan nodded, so Netto opened a box and found the new model PET inside of it (which was the same that elderly man had had on him) but this model was colored blue and had the Hikari family crest on it instead.

"WOW! This is the current new model PET: the PET III! It's so cool!"

"IPC's revelation for this year. That's the 1st unit the production of which finished yesterday evening."

"That for real? It's OK if I can get this very important product?" Netto asked.

"I don't mind." Enzan replied.

_I smell some benefit. _"K. S." grinned.

"Yahoo! I didn't think of that before but you're a nice guy, Enzan!"

"The 1st unit may have some errors."

"Huh?"

"I picked the 2nd unit."

"I thought as much: a mean guy…" He skeptically muttered.

_Heh. Leave the debugging job to them? Mr. Ijuuin can be somewhat lazy or a bit sarcastic from time to time…_ "K. S." thought as he looked on.

_The detective's Navi is there… But I'm interested in these new PETs, true: I should keep an eye over them because they're the reason "Duo" has spared us for the time being… It wouldn't fit with Shuryou's plans having Earth be erased! _Freeze Man grinned inside of his diamond.

Netto smiled as he added the grip to handle the PET: this grip had a mainly blackish coloring to it with orange-colored edges on the upper end and some square dots plus a large horizontal stripe.

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

The hatches opened to display the IR sensor and he aimed for a port on Enzan's desk: he was amazed when a holographic 3D touch screen popped out: the screen displayed Rock Man's full body standing in the Cyber World along with some Battle Chips icons set on a column on the right side of the screen: they were Cannon, Vulcan, Area Steal, Wide Wave and Custom Sword.

"Whoa!"

"Netto – kun, otouto! How is it?" He asked.

"Cool! Cool!"

"The PET III has a direct touch interface. You can Operate the Navi by touching that 3D panel. By touching that Chip with the finger you can attach it to Rock Man."

"Like this?"

Netto tried dragging the "Cannon" icon and the weapon formed on Rock Man's arm: both he and Netto were awed before Netto shut down the screen.

_Hum! Flash memory Battle Chips! Now! Talk about an improvement! You needn't input them and the transfer speed will be faster because they're already in the PET's system. _Freeze Man looked amused.

_I wonder if the "Cross Fusion" handicap is taken into account or we'll need to keep on using the "Battle Chip Gate"… Let's hope Mr. Ijuuin took that into mind when designing it!_

"And also… You can compile 5 Chips in 1 group and equip a maximum of 25 Chips." Enzan explained.

"You've also equipped it with the functions of the "Battle Chip Gate"!"

_Ah! So now the limit is 25 Battle Chips? Splendid! Splendid! _"K. S." looked very please by the news.

_No more handicaps! Excellent. This will do fine to deal with any interlopers which show up. _Freeze Man made a smug smile.

"And that "Custom Grip" too… By attaching that "Grip" you can strengthen the functions too."

"This is - WAY TOO COOL! _Thank you_, Enzan! I'll treasure it!" Netto exclaimed.

"You needn't thank me. In exchange… There's something I'd like of you to help me out with…" Enzan turned serious as he stood up.

_Ah! Classical. _Give & take_! Heh, heh, heh. As expected of a good business man like Mr. Ijuuin… _

Enzan and Netto talked about something and Netto then came out of the IPC building: he looked in a very good mood as he made his way to Higureya and met with Higure, Shuuko, Meiru, Hikawa, Chisao and Rush there to tell them something.

"HU~H? You'll show up in a CM?" They all asked.

_Aha-hah! So that's the favor… _"K. S." grinned.

"Aup?"

"Netto! You're going to show up in a TV CM?" Meiru asked.

"Correct! Enzan says he can't stand showing up alone so that's why he asked me to! I thought it was a bother but, well…"

_Don't brag. You're thrilled._ Saito scolded as he leant both hands on the sides of his body and looking slightly annoyed.

_You sound like you were Papa!_ Netto complained.

_An elder brother has to fix the flaws of the younger one! _Saito insisted.

_Whatever! I'm going to be famous!_

… _* sighs * … Go your own half-way, then…_

_My "half-way"? Why not my "way"? _

_Dunno._

_Very funny!_

_Gotcha._

"So then… What's that CM about? Chu?"

"IPC's Animal Farm, see!" Netto replied.

"The future-model "Safari Park" which opened this year! De masu! I believe that the owner is a sub-company of IPC…"

"I see! That's why Enzan's involved." Hikawa realized.

"Eh… A nice place to check out! De masu! Checking out the "Animal Farm"…"

"Enzan's an obvious choice and Netto's somewhat of a maniac guy but both of them can be called famous guys!" Meiru told Netto.

"I ain't a maniac guy! I don't like maniac guys."

"A CM _debut_, huh… That's cool." Hikawa sounded jealous.

"Cool, Netto! Chu!"

"Yeah! I'm really cool! Truth is…! Oh!"

He spotted the clock on the wall which read "10:05" and gasped.

"Yikes! It's the shooting time already! OK! Guys! I'm going!"

"I… have a bad feeling." Shuuko muttered.

"Me too… When Netto gets cocky then…" Meiru sighed in defeat.

"Aup, aup!"

10:39 AM (Japan Time)…

"… WHOA~!"

Netto had come to the so-called "Animal Park" and found it to live up to its name: all kind of "safari" animals were there and the grounds included several terrains and facilities.

"Whoa! Whoa! Cool!"

The shooting team stood next to their van and Enzan was also standing some meters behind Netto, folding his arms.

_Want to display that this is what IPC can do when they set their mind to it, Mr. Ijuuin? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… _"K. S." chuckled.

_Hum. The "Animal Farm"… Nah… No way that that Duo or that Slur would bother about what happens here. But they've been too quiet. It's been a week already. _Freeze Man wasn't surprised in the least.

"Look like it wasn't Japan even!"

"But, Netto – kun… But they don't look that cheery, do they?" Rock Man argued from inside of the PET, placed on the pouch.

"Huh? Is that so? Huh?"

A kangaroo suddenly landed next to him.

"Oh! A kangaroo! Hah, hah! How cute! Huh? What's this?"

He spotted some kind of small device implanted into the kangaroo's right ear.

"The Surveillance IC Chip, you see."

"Huh?"

A man who appealed as being a member of the staff walked over to Netto in a leisure manner.

"It forwards the animals' physical strength, body temperature and complexion to the surveillance center."

_I see. Not a bad system… _"K. S." smiled.

"The surveillance center always knows all details of the animals' health!"

"Hum! As expected of "IPC Group"… This isn't your everyday zoo!" A new man who appealed to be the filming director complimented.

"I am honored by your praising, sir. Well then! Let me introduce the staff who'll take part in the shooting."

He glanced at the left and a lion came walking in: it had a spiked collar around the neck, a scar across his right eye, and the chip device on its left ear: it suddenly roared, scaring Netto, the director, and an assistant, but Enzan was far from impressed.

_You mustn't move an inch of the face, right, Mr. Ijuuin? _"K. S." looked amused by Enzan's behavior.

"A… L-l-lion!" Netto uttered.

"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! It's alright. It's _his_ pet."

A man walked into the scene: they looked on their 30s and had brownish hair and irises plus three scars over his right eye: his frame wasn't that tall but was rather wide so it imposed some presence: they didn't seem to have gone over the meter and seventy mark.

The man's clothes consisted on an orange t-shirt with green bands around the cuffs, which ended before the elbows: they had a brown circle with the drawing of the scars spanning from the NW to the SE on the NE corner of the shirt and they also wore an open fur sleeveless vest over their shirt too.

Their jeans had fur around the ankles and they wore sandals without using socks.

They also had a wrist-watch on their right wrist.

_Hum. Something about this man gives me a vibe. _"K. S." suddenly looked suspicious.

"Inukai Takeo – kun." The staff introduced.

_Inukai Takeo… Let's write it down just in case._

"He's still a newbie but, for some reason, the animals always listen to what he orders them to do."

"So! He's an animal tamer, you mean to say? That's encouraging! I'll be counting on you, my man. Huh?"

The director tried extending his hand but Inukai merely glanced asides: it was obvious he wasn't the type strong at socializing.

"Well then! I'll be on my way. Be kind to everyone, Inukai – kun!"

"Che! Huh! So selfish…" Inukai grumbled.

"That's cool!" Netto suddenly exclaimed.

"Huh?"

"Turning a lion into your pet…"

"It ain't just Umonusuke! All of animals here are the great I's servants!"

_Hum! He looks arrogant: too much, even. Maybe there'll be trouble further on… _

"Umonusuke? Hah, hah! It feels weird for a lion!"

"Obviously: the names you give the animals need to be suitable."

"… "Suitable"…? That isn't being nice to them! Right, Umonusuke?" Netto frowned as he rubbed the lion's forehead.

Umonusuke roared and Netto dropped the ground: Inukai pulled the cord to hold the lion at back and grinned.

"If a guy inferior to him is selfish to him then he gets annoyed! Well done, Umonusuke.

They turned tail and headed out while Enzan crouched next to Netto.

"You OK? Netto?"

"Y-yeah… Che! What a mean guy!"

11:57 AM (Japan Time)…

_Let's check on the Science Labs while they get ready for the shooting, anyway._

The Science Labs were busy apparently constructing the new "Dimensional Generator": new equipment was being set in, new laptops were brought in and set up, too, equipment was being wired in the main room, and Yuuichirou and Meijin stood on the roof.

"Heh. They got ahead of us." Yuuichirou smiled.

"Huh? What do you mean, sir?" Meijin snapped out of his reflections.

"The new-model PET, you see! As expected of IPC!"

Some new satellite uplink antennae had been built on the roof and they seemed to be part of the new device too: they were as large as always given how Yuuichirou and Meijin were dwarved next to one.

"Our "Dimensional Generator" will soon be completed too, sir."

"The PET III and the "Dimensional Generator"… They'll become strength for Netto and Enzan – kun to battle against Duo…"

_Back at the farm…_

Netto was taking part on the filming by sporting an African fighter-like costume, which consisted on only one of those tribal skirts, a necklace of fangs, a lance and a bit of war paint, red and green: the skirt was the only piece of clothing he had on and he was barefoot too.

"Hikari Netto's great adventure! Everyone! Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!"

"Wrong, wrong… Try to appeal more natural! Won't you get it no matter how many times we tell you? Counting on you, Netto – kun…!"

"Ah… Yes, sir…"

"Well then! Once more! Take 29!"

"Yes, sir! Take 29! Go!"

CLAC!

"Everyone! Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!"

He tried making a shrugging gesture but it was far from convincing.

"WRONG! Take 30!"

"…Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!"

Rock Man and Blues looked on fromt inside of the Cyber World.

"There's no mood! Take 31!"

"Animal – Farm – Something! Netto!" He uttered a rush and barely decipherable message.

"Speak clearly! Take 32!"

"Netto – kun… He got tense and starts to babble…" Rock Man muttered with obvious worry.

"Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!"

"Guess he's not the type to face audiences…" Blues drily muttered.

"That's not convincing! Take 33!"

"Hey! Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!"

"Mixed words… Take 34!"

Enzan was sitting on a portable chair close by having changed into safari attire including the hat: he looked on in a calm manner: he sighed.

"Come – to – the – Animal – Farm – Netto!" He rushed up the words.

"Picked the wrong character…?" He wondered.

"If you'd come to the "Animal Farm"…"

"Wrong… Once more… Take 36…" The director was getting exasperated and with no wonder.

_My, my. Mr. Hikari Jr. burns their patience out._

Inukai was lying atop the grass behind the director in a lazy manner: he looked like he didn't give a crap for the shooting and Umonusuke was lying close by too.

"Everyone! Come to the "Animal Farm"! Netto!" He made up some pitched up voice.

"A~H! Whatever! We'll turn out!"

"Hmpf. How stupid."

"We'll postpone it!"

"I-I'm sorry."

"Inukai! Time for you to shine! Counting on you!" The director faced him.

"Huh… Kept me waitin'… Well… Which animal goes first?" He sat up on the grass.

"Well, then… First goes… Let's pick the elephant, the gorilla and the leopard."

Inukai stood up with a smug smile on his face.

"That'll be easy…"

Inukai picked a leather whip and stood still along with Umonusuke: wind blew across the grass: he suddenly lifted his right arm and coiled some of the cat-o'-four-tails whip on his right hand.

"Go! Umonusuke!"

CLAC!

He had the whip hit its own body and Umonusuke ran on ahead at the signal: it began to chase a gorilla followed by an elephant: Netto gasped and looked shocked.

"Whoa!"

The leopard, though, was resting atop a tree's branch and glanced at Inukai in an indifferent manner.

"It's useless to hide!"

Inukai made the whip coil around the ankles of the leopard: Netto made a grimace.

"Horrible!"

The three animals gathered in a corner while being sulky: Umonusuke kept its distance from them and barely glanced at them before roaring: Inukai coiled the whip.

"How was that? Did ya see that? I can freely use any animal as if it were but a tool!"

"What a thing you've done! Aren't they pitiful? Netto scolded.

"Don't worry… Umonusuke will make sure that they don't trie to go and bite ya…"

"That's not the problem! Controlling the animals by force and fear is too cruel! Animals aren't humans' tools or servants!"

"What'd ya say? You bothersome cheeky brat!"

"Huh!"

_I was right: this man brings trouble along!_

Umonusuke showed up the tooth and stepped forward: Enzan had closed his eyes and folded his arms.

"Director. Cancel the filming."

"B-but, Vice – President, sir…! But the filming of the main animals isn't done yet…!"

"Cancel it!" He opened his eyes and his gaze was commanding.

"… You're dismissed!"

Inukai had been brought to the director's office but he was far from impressed.

"The strong ones rule the weak ones by strength!"

_Oh. Just leave us at peace._ "K. S." sighed.

"Being used is a rule of this world! Just like animals!"

The director sat up, disgusted, while Inukai gave him the back.

"Please leave! We don't want demons like you sticking around here!"

"Che!"

He glanced at the two "Net Saviors" next to the entrance.

"I'll remember this, you brats…" He threatened.

_That's what happens when you try to harm a "Net Savior". Learn your lesson, savage. _"K. S." was far from impressed.

"What a guy!" Netto muttered.

Inukai made it back to his apartment in a block of flats just as evening began to set in.

"Hell!"

DZING!

"This guy, that guy…! They make me go mad!"

Inukai had broken some ceramic object on the ground while Umonusuke looked on in an unimpressed manner.

_Just in case he tries some revenge plot I'll keep an eye on them… _"K. S." thought as he spied on them from afar.

"If I had strength then I'd make them pay back!" He grumbled.

Something sparkled on the night sky and a shooting star shot across it all of a sudden before it vanished from sight: all computers' screens on the building's surveillance center suddenly frizzled with static and the fluorescent light began to flicker before going off.

"Huh? What the heck?"

_That wasn't your everyday power failure._

His PET II's screen started to shine with a white glow all of a sudden and Inukai gasped as he abandoned his lazy pose.

"Whoa!"

The screen was filled with static and it then cleared to display a close-up of Slur's upper body and face as she stood in that alien Cyber World.

_Slur! What are they doing here? _"K. S." gasped.

"Who the hell are ya?"

"Strong ones use strength to rule over the weak ones… An interesting philosophy." She calmly stated.

_Ah! Were they monitoring the "Net Saviors" too and thus they picked on what had happened? And they got interested in that ever-so-classical motto…? What are they going to do? _"K. S." looked uneven.

"Why do not I grant you the power to make those thoughts become reality?" She offered.

"What?"

His PET II's upper slot suddenly ejected some kind of alien-made Chip which had a small diamond on the center of it colored green and bluish smooth pieces of armor around it: the diamond was set on the very center of a smooth black material.

_They produced a Chip out of nowhere! They must have designed it and they materialize it straight away! _

Inukai picked it while the diamond's glow changed to blue: he held it up, surprised.

"What's this?"

"A "Dimensional Chip"…"

_Did they say "Dimensional Chip"? Can it allow for materialization sans a "Dimensional Area" like the "Rush Synchro Chip" Shade Man improved a month ago?_

"And… I shall change your Navi into an "Asteroid"…"

The standard Navi inside of the PET looked on as how a circle of white light formed on their feet and then expanded upwards in the form of a prism: their data suddenly broke down.

"The "Asteroid" is ready. They shall answer to your thoughts no matter of what color they are."

_What!_

The Navi's frame was replaced by that of "Darkloid" Beast Man: he looked as fierce and dangerous as he'd looked time ago.

_They revived a "Darkloid"! Beast Man! How fitting: the very first "Darkloid" to antagonize Rock Man is first…! Let's hope they don't bring Shade Man into the picture too!_

"Gruwa~rgh!"

"This guy's… Beast Man!" Inukai grinned.

_There must be some data saying the name. But this is bad. They didn't even have to physically appear here to do that and I'm sure this is part of Duo's instructions. Slur must be the do-it-all-servant who does all of his work and interacts with people._

Slur returned into the screen.

"… Well then... Use the "Asteroid" and unleash the "Dark" within your heart. Immediately. Heh, heh."

The glow died down and Slur vanished from the screen all of a sudden: Inukai looked surprised.

"A dream…? No! Wrong!"

Inukai glanced at the "Dimensional Chip" on his hand the jewel of which glowed in varying colors: he grinned.

"Good… Let's do it!" He grinned.

_No good!_

04:03 AM (Japan Time), Sunday May the 28th…

"… Plug In! Beast Man, Transmission!"

Inukai intruded the "Animal Farm" surveillance center and knocked out the security agent while ignoring the alarms.

_I've detected an unusual signature. What's it about?_

Freeze Man made it to the scene hidden inside of his diamond and booted up the screens to look out: several Police Navis were standing ready next to a Core Block.

"Hrah! Wra~h!"

Beast Man quickly dived forward extending his claws and beat the security Navis, knocking them into the ground, and expelling them from the system.

_What! Beast Man! How's this possible? Is this Duo's work too?_

"Grrr…"

"Do it, Beast Man! Use the surveillance IC Chip to control the animals!"

The IC Chips began to glow and the animals quickly became aggressive: they all rushed out of the perimeter by breaking the wall.

"Go! You servant animals!"

The animals rushed down the avenue.

"Teach those petty humans about the great me's strength! Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

Wily (having taken out the cap and the mask for the cold) was still wandering across the city and collecting cans when he spotted the animals acting berserk around the city.

"Hmmm?"

The animals broke into shops, wrecked urban property, and forced the police to deploy.

"They're loose… Use the tranquilizer darts!"

Some policemen tried to use flutes to shoot the darts, but the flying animals began to overwhelm them: the Science Labs staff, while putting the finishing touches to the "Dimensional Generator", also saw it through the LCD screen in the main room.

"What on Earth is all of this?" Yuuichirou wondered.

_What happens when you give a grudge-filled human the tools to fulfill their petty vengeance… _"K. S." grumbled.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…! Become crazier, you animals! Teach the city guys how strong I am!" Inukai kept on commanding.

"Netto!"

"Enzan! Have you also seen the news?"

Netto met up with Enzan in a spot of the city.

"Yeah."

"_Where_ are those animals coming from, anyway?"

"Have a close look at them."

Enzan took out his PET III and showed him a photo of an elephant: he zoomed on the control chip.

"This is… The surveillance IC Chip!" Netto exclaimed.

"There's no mistaking it. The source of this incident is at the "Animal Farm"!"

"Let's go!"

The IPC limo braked in front of the farm's entrance and both of them climbed out: Blues and Rock Man plugged into the local Cyber World and were greeted by the fierce Beast Man.

"Wrua~h!"

"You're…!" Blues exclaimed.

"Beast Man!" Rock Man gasped.

"Beast Man, did you say?" Netto exclaimed as he looked at the 3D display.

"How did a "Darkloid" we defeated in the past return?"

Some light invaded the area as it dropped down from the sky.

"That is not a "Darkloid"." A familiar voice announced.

The light faded away to reveal Slur hovering above all of them.

"Slur!" Rock Man exclaimed.

_So that's Slur… And Beast Man isn't a "Darkloid"? They've rebuilt them differently, they mean to say? _

"This is an "Asteroid" given to humans who have evil hearts by the great Duo. And they also are… The "trial" granted to humans." She glanced at them with a totally uninterested look.

"…"Asteroid"… "Trial"…" Enzan muttered.

"Beast Man is… an "Asteroid"…" Netto muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh." A familiar voice chuckled close by.

Netto looked in front of him to see how Inukai came out of the shadows.

"Inukai! So this was your handiwork! Why are you doing such a horrible thing?" Netto exclaimed.

"If you rule them through force and fear… Even the weakest animals become stronger!"

"What?" Netto hissed.

"Then you use them to rule the weakest guys. And that's a human trait!"

"Groa~h! Beast Ray!" Beast Man roared.

Both Navis barely dodged while Slur (making a smug smile) vanished from the scene by fading away with the sphere of light.

_Let's go, niisan! First battle with the PET III!_

_Let's test it out!_

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan! Slot In!"

Netto picked the icon and dragged it into Rock Man: that icon was replaced by that of a Sword Battle Chips: Rock Man shot but Beast Man dodged the volleys by jumping backwards.

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade! Slot In!"

Enzan tried another approach (and a Variable Sword popped out in the menu in the gap left behind by the Wide Blade) but Blues missed: Beast Man was too fast.

"Fast!" Blues cursed.

Beast Man tried to attack Rock Man.

"Jumping Claw!"

"Battle Chip, Area Steal, Wide Shot! Double Slot In!"

Rock Man moved out of harm's way (behind Beast Man) and shot a water attack at the "Asteroid", hitting him fully.

"The Chip's response has improved a lot! How's that like, Inukai?"

"Crap. You bothersome cheeky brats! Well then… I'll use the animals… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Inukai muttered before he ran off into the night.

"Ah! Hold it right there!"

"Netto! We go to Densan City!" Enzan announced.

"Ou!"

Netto's father appeared onscreen all of a sudden.

"Netto, Saito!" He called out.

"Huh! Papa!"

_Good news, maybe? _Freeze Man wondered.

"Netto, Saito! Our "Dimensional Generator" is almost complete. Don't do try anything too reckless before it is." Yuuichirou commanded.

"Gotcha!" Netto replied.

"Let's hurry up, otouto!" Saito told him.

"Ou!"

_That Inukai guy… We're gonna beat 'im! _

Netto and Enzan returned to the city and found the district in ruins.

"Horrible…" Netto muttered.

"It's the work of those manipulated animals?" Enzan wondered.

"You did well in coming, gnats… I'll teach you some lessons… These gnats are weaker than you animals are!" Inukai exclaimed as walked out of a street's mass of obscurity.

Several red eyes shone within the mass of obscurity and the animals advanced towards them.

"H-h-hey, Enzan… What do we do?"

Netto gulped when seeing the fierce animals and Enzan spotted a car on fire.

"Netto! Over here!"

They ran towards the car, Enzan dragging Netto along.

"Hey! W-wait a min! Whoa!"

They stopped near the car and the animals kept their distance because of the fire: Inukai gasped and looked surprised.

"The animals aren't moving…" Netto muttered.

"The animals fear confronting flames." Enzan replied.

"Huh! What useless tools! Can't be helped! Dimensional Chip, Slot In!" He exclaimed as he held it out: it had the typical contacts on the lower edge.

_So it still needs visible circuitry to work with our PETs… _"K. S" deduced on the spot.

Inukai inserted the thing into the PET II: a red sphere (which began to shoot out purple electricity across the screen) appeared onscreen and it was surrounded by bluish/purplish rectangular pieces which formed a ring around it occupying the whole size of the screen: purple data screens popped out and there was bright flash.

_Coming…?_

Beast Man appeared in front of the "Net Saviors" but he was taller than normal.

_Ah! And their size is increased tenfold! Why! They seem to be maniac about using gigantic programs… Duo must be a giant, I guess!_

"Mugruwre~h…"

"Be-Beast Man…!" Netto exclaimed.

"The "Asteroids" are able to materialize even without a "Dimensional Area"?"

"Gruo~h!"

Enzan and Netto barely dodged Beast Man's claw which hit the car in fire.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! It ain't just the animals! Both humans and Net Navis are but tools! All of them are tools which make the great me stronger!"

Netto and Enzan stood up, although they'd been hurt a bit: Beast Man hit the ground with one claw and caused a shockwave which propelled them some meters backwards.

_Quick! The Science Labs! Finish the device!_

The "Dimensional" Generator circuitry was checked by the computer and they got the green light.

"Completed! The "Dimensional Generator"…!"

Meijin brought up the screen with the PET III's beacon and marked the coordinates: he pressed a button.

"Dimensional Area, Engage! Switch on!" Meijin exclaimed with a broad grin.

The satellite dishes on the roof shone and shot four energy streams which merged into one bright sphere: the sphere became a unique stream of energy which flew across the air, and, once it reached the designed spot, it deployed the "Dimensional Area" around the spot.

_Ah! I should've seen it coming… No need to rely on trucks anymore! Instant deployment anywhere anytime! _"K. S." smiled.

_This will be useful! _Freeze Man grinned.

"Oh? A "Dimensional Area" has formed!" Netto exclaimed in relief as he looked up.

Wily smiled while standing not too far from there.

"Heh! They completed it?" He muttered aloud.

"Dimensional Generator: success!" Meijin reported.

"Now! Netto! Enzan – kun!"

The two "Net Saviors" took out the "Synchro Chips" and quickly tried them out.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Their "Cross Fusion" sequence had now changed, most likely as a result of using the new PET III.

Rock Man's forearms formed first over Netto's ones and then the chest emblem in one pre-assembled piece stuck atop his clothes.

The helmet's design had changed, too: a bright blue-colored fin-shape piece formed at the sides, emerging from the ear pads' upper edge and extended until the end of the helmet: an arch was drawn over it and the space inside of it had a deeper tonality of blue.

That same forehead drawing which his other form had was set on the same place, and the helmet's front now extended until the start of the nose: his hair now flowed out in a more natural manner from behind it.

The backpack was already there and it only had to extend the NW and NE cylinders.

The blue borders travelling down the sides of his upper body ended around the hips: two circular bands of the bright blue color were drawn over them with a small separation between them.

A pale blue border formed around it and a straight line travelled towards the emblem to form a curve surrounding the lower half of it: the curve ended with a small "spike" drawing pointing downwards.

The plating over his shoulders now had a more pyramid-like form and they were aiming towards the NW and NE, respectively.

His forearm design now included a thin separation around the elbow: the two combine section formed a hexagon with a green jewel set on its center: the short section set on the rear half of the elbow was colored navy blue while the rest of the forearm was slightly brighter.

His boots' design was based upon that of his forearms: the soil was painted black and separated from the rest of the foot by a thin bright blue line.

The jetpack design had changed a bit, too, and it now included bright blue pieces connecting the upper right and left edges with the body: a curved red line was drawn half-way across it: the rest of the backpack looked identical to Rock Man's usual form.

_My! A new design! Interesting!_

Enzan's new "Cross Fusion" design's helmet now looked closer to Blues' one but the shades kept on being blue yet their shape had changed a bit: the face-mask was white now.

The torso had a red vest over it and the emblem was set in the middle of it with two white patterns climbing towards the shoulders.

The forearms' armor began close to the elbow with two circles of thinner height and width each stacked atop the other and a red spear crossing through them and covering the elbow: a yellowish diamond with an upper black triangular edge was set there and red armor spanned from there until it was over the hand where a copy of his emblem was at: the "skin" was black.

His lower body was covered in a light gray bodysuit with black flanks.

Two red triangles were drawn on the hips and just over the knees before the boots came in: their design was copied from that of the forearms and the front edge was colored with a thin yellowish line marking the border between them.

His hair kept on flowing out behind him in the usual manner too.

_Impressive, gentlemen!_

"Huh! Huh…"

Inukai gasped and tried to make two animals attack them by using his PET II but he failed because they jumped into the air and both animals skid past the other barely avoiding hitting: the filming director barely dodged a falcon chasing him by throwing himself into the ground: he eyed "CF" Netto jumping around.

"Oh! This is…! Hey! The camera! Bring the camera!" He yelled to someone out of sight.

"Che. What useless tools!" Inukai scoffed.

"What?" "CF" Netto hissed.

"Grrr…" Beast Man came out.

The two "Cross Fusion" fighters readied themselves and jumped into the air.

"We'll settle it in one blow! Battle Chip, Custom Sword!" "CF" Netto announced to "CF" Blues.

"Battle Chip, Long Blade!"

"Hra~h!"

"Hra~h!"

Both "Cross Fusion" fighters dived towards Beast Man and the two attacks left cut shaped like the Alphabet's "X" character on Beast Man's torso.

"GRA~H!" He roared before escaping.

"Ah! Curses! Bothersome Rock Man and Blues! I'll remember this!" Inukai cursed before he made a run for his bucks.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and both picked up their reformed PET IIIs with a grin.

"We did it!" Netto told Enzan.

Inukai hid in a side alley and saw a police car run down the street.

"Che!"

The sound of police car sirens filled the night air: Inukai tried to run down some emergency stairs in the back of a building but he was cornered by the police who used flashlight to spot him.

"Ye people! Curse it!"

Unfortunately for the police, the lion, Umonusuke, came out of nowhere.

"Umonusuke!"

Inukai jumped on top of him.

"Remember this! I'll eventually have my payback!"

He escaped along with Umonusuke by jumping over the cars' roofs.

"… Phew! Somehow… We made it on in time."

Yuuichirou sat down in one revolving chair, tired.

"We certainly did! Hakase!" Meijin exclaimed as he made the thumbs up sign.

Yuuichirou formed a smile.

_Phew! Saved by the machine! _"K. S." inwardly chuckled.

Dawn began to emerge: Enzan was speaking with Netto.

"… This is the "trial" which Duo has granted to humanity. Ambition, jealousy, arrogance, hate… He'll give an "Asteroid" to humans tempted by the sighting of "evil"… We'll have to fight against the humans which cause those incidents… As long as Duo doesn't give up... We'll have to keep at it." Enzan announced.

"Humans can be bad living beings… If they have power then they up like Inukai…"

"I'm different. You too, Netto."

"Huh?"

"Our companions too." Enzan kept on saying.

They eyed the police keeping the animals in provisional mobile cages until they could be returned to the "Animal Farm".

"True! That's how it is!"

An elephant extended its nose forward near them: Enzan softly grabbed it and rubbed it.

"Everyone has returned to normal!" Netto smiled.

Two young deer walked towards Netto from behind so he turned and played with them: one of them licked him.

"Don't lick me: it tickles! Hah, hah, hah, hah! Quit it, I say!"

"What an emotional scene!" The filming director was actually crying in joy from recording it.

"Even if I tell you not to lick me…!" Netto laughed.

_So that's how it'll be. So be it. _Freeze Man calmly smiled.

_Duo wants to have us fight these "Asteroids"? Then we'll fight them! No matter how much times it takes!_

08:49 AM (Japan Time)…

_Hum. He's looking at the CM. Let's see how it ended up like._

Netto eyed the CM via an LCD screen placed on the street: to his utter terror, only Enzan had made it into the final footage, riding atop an elephant and saying a totally stupid motto.

"… An adventure-like meeting with wild animals is waiting for you! Everyone! Go to the "Animal Farm"!"

"Plug – In into your "Animal Heart!"..."

Netto fell to his knees and cried in frustration.

"Why… Don't I show up? It's horrible! That speech and all…! He doesn't like showing up alone, he said…! Ua~h!"

"Looks like his dream has ended, chu…"

"Well. It mustn't be nice." Meiru muttered.

"Aup, aup!"

"A~H! You delinquent! You've become a bad guy~! HELL!"

_Another selfish act or…? Well… True that they weren't that good, but… You could've tried to edit it digitally, couldn't you, Mr. Ijuuin? _"K. S." looked on from his car and had a slightly worried look to him.

"You weren't good enough, Netto – kun." Rock Man sighed.

"WHY~! WUA~H!"

"What do we do? Chu?"

"Dunno…" Meiru muttered.

"Cheer up, Netto – kun! Maybe there'll be a second chance." Hikawa tried to encourage.

"Aup, aup!"

"ENZA~N! I'LL REMEMBER THIS! YOU JERK! WUA~H!"


	4. Chapter 4: Sky-flying Dirty Rascal

**Chapter 4: Sky-flying Dirty Rascal!**

22:22 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 2nd…

_Hum. I picked up a signature around here… We've been slightly busy ever since the debut of "Asteroid" Beast Man… "Asteroid" Plant Man came next and they caused a nation-wide vegetables' crisis which had to be halted by Rock Man and Blues… The savage used a human hostage but even so they defeated them again… This one didn't last past their debut. And to think it was granted to a student younger than Hikari Netto…! Slur will deliver them to anyone as long as they have a selfish desire to fulfill… _

A museum had closed for the night: it had a large exhibit consisting of various objects: a crown, a feather and an ancient parchment were some of them: Freeze Man had come to check the place out.

_Huh? Someone's coming!_

An unidentified Navi came into the system and its eyes glowed with a red light: the museum was filled with sand thus disabling the security systems and a man walked in: he looked at a exhibited crown while a security staff member spotted the patches of sand with his flashlight.

"Huh?"

When he tried to open the main room's doors, a mass of sand came out and propelled him backwards.

"Uwa~h!"

When he was able to come in later he could spot that the feather had been robbed.

_Let devil bite me if I didn't know who that Navi was. But why would they rob a feather? I know that it's part of some exhibit but why didn't they pick the crown while they were at it? Odd._

He shrugged and his "diamond" warped into the base: it hissed, expulsed water steam, and the upper half climbed upwards using hydraulic pistons.

_Time to write a report… Odd, very odd!_

11:03 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday June the 3rd…

"… Mariko – _sensei_!"

Mariko was standing the yard and someone was recording her from behind: she turned and smiled.

"_Hai_! O.K.! _Nice_! It was _nice_, Mariko – _sensei_. I'm really glad. Thank you very much, ma'am." The cameraman told her once he'd finished recording.

This camera man was a man on his late 20s or early 30s with abundant brownish hair and brownish irises who was over a meter and seventy in height or close to a meter and eighty.

He wore a reddish ten-gallon hat, a simplistic unadorned yellowish shirt, brownish pants with a teal stripe running down their sides and circling the ankles, and shoes of two tones of brown.

He carried a TV camera as well.

"No! Don't mind it! But… Will it really be fine if I end up appearing in TV?"

"Obviously, ma'am! I, Sunayama Noboru, DNN Director, assure to you that you're fitting to be introduced in the famed evening-slot program "Our _Madonna _Teachers"!"

"Hey! Film us too!" Netto requested.

"Wait a min! Sorry. Today's just _sensei_."

"Whatever! Just a little bit! Will you?"

"Hah, hah… I lose! Good!"

"We did it!" Everyone exclaimed.

_Trying to get a second chance at showing up over TV, Mr. Hikari Jr.? No wonder._ "K. S." grinned as he looked at his PET while sitting inside of his car parked behind the school.

A sudden wind came in followed by the sound of a helicopter's engine: a small two-seater chopper colored orange descended there without warning of any kind.

_You're not gonna tell me Cousin wants to make a dramatic entrance right here and now. _"K. S." gasped.

The chopper softly touched down and the pilot stepped down.

_Phew. It ain't Cousin._

"Who…?" Netto wondered.

_I'd like to know too._

"Dunno…" Meiru muttered.

The pilot was on his late 20s or early 30s: he had blonde hair and and brown irises.

He was wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt with cyan dots and patterns on it, a red scarf, a teal brown coat wrapped around his waist, jeans and brown boots along with smoke sunglasses over his eyes plus gloves.

He looked in high spirits and he took out a comb to fix the right side of his head before he looked at the group.

_A show-off or…?_

Everyone looked on, surprised, while the man's smoked glasses shone in a "cool" manner.

"_Target: Locked On!_" He announced.

_What! An assassin…? _

He suddenly presented Mariko with some roses while he crouched next to her in a chivalrous pose.

_Guess not._

"I offer roses to the Goddess."

"Huh?"

He suddenly stood up and softly turned her around while making her lean on his outstretched right arm: the whole thing looked like some _clichéd_ love movie scene: the students were dumbfounded.

_What the heck does this man want, anyway?_

"I _fall in love_ with your eyes."

"HUH?" Everyone gasped.

"I'm Charlie Airstar. I'm _pilot_ circling across the world. I give out flowers when I happen to have fallen in love, you see."

"I s-see…"

Netto looked rather skeptical and the other students apparently didn't know what to do.

"What is your name, ma'am?"

"Oozono, sir…"

He glanced at her folder which had her full name written there.

"Hum… _Miss_ Mariko…"

"Huh? Ah! Ahem… Charlie – san! This is a school, sir!"

She brought up the folder to block his face.

"Unrelated persons should come out."

"_Miss_ Mariko! What we need aren't words but action."

"HUH?"

"Well… I'll be leaving… Send my greetings to _sensei_, will you?" Sunayama excused himself.

"Y-yeah."

Sunayama climbed into a brownish car and departed the grounds while Netto faced Airstar.

"Oi! You!"

"Huh? What, _boy_?"

"I'm Hikari Netto! Behave and let go of _sensei_!"

The students looked at him with annoyed faces.

_No – one comes and says they can flirt with their teacher during school hours._

"You still can't grasp adults' positions? Right, _Miss_ Mariko?"

"Please leave!" She snapped with an annoyed face to her.

Airstair gasped and stood back, taken aback: he fixed his smoked glasses and sighed.

"I am not suitable for the princess… Well then… Next time I'll treat you a sky-high date…"

He made a chivalrous kiss to her hand: the students were taken aback by now and Mariko blushed.

_This man… Just leave them in peace! _"K. S." wasn't amused in the least at Airstair's behavior.

He climbed back into the chopper and turned it on.

"_My princess_, _Miss_ Mariko! _Arrivederci!_"

He blew a kiss towards her but Netto did a gesture which meant to say he was intercepting this kiss and stomping it with his right foot.

"Take this, this, and this!" He grumbled.

The chopper finally left.

"What the heck was up with that guy?"

_Dunno. _Saito admitted.

_That wasn't funny._

_Yeah. It wasn't. That guy shouldn't have bothered _sensei_._

_Luckily _sensei _showed that guy that they aren't welcome here!_

_Yeah. Well. Let's focus back on the school stuff._

_Don't come back, you moron!_

20:11 PM (Japan Time)…

… _The same signature… Painting Exhibition Hall…_

Freeze Man watched on as a mass of sand broke through the doors and flooded the room: the staff recovered the paintings from within the mass of sand a while later.

"It's missing its frame!" One member of the staff exclaimed.

_Now… The Money Memorial Museum…_

The vent cover jumped off and sand flooded the room: the culprit picked something and fled.

_They don't get tired? Fine Art Museum next!_

The CCTV camera was disabled using the sand method and the room was flooded with the sand mass: one statuette seemed to be the center of attention.

"… Heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…" The Navi inwardly chuckled in a creepy tone of voice.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" The thief chuckled next.

_Laugh while you can… Back to the base!_

Freeze Man warped back into the base and opened the diamond: he jumped out and brought up a screen into which he began to type a report while attaching photos of the locations.

"Insofar the stolen items don't seem to be _that_ valuable… Normally one would steal the most valuable item but maybe these ones are harder to track down and there are collectors ready to pay a fortune for them to begin with… And I already know who that "Asteroid" is but I don't know their Operator's ID yet. But the "Net Saviors" will eventually be brought into the picture so… They'll handle it."

He finished typing the report and stored it.

"Time for a well-deserved sleep… Tomorrow will be a busy day!"

07:33 AM (Japan Time), Thursday June the 4th…

"… Regarding the series of worldwide theft cases… Some of them have happened in Japan too."

Manabe was briefing both Netto and Enzan in the Net Police HQ and in the presence of Commissioner Kifune.

"The main trait is that large amounts of sand were left at the robbery scenes… The Cyber World is illegally entered and then the security systems are destroyed to allow for the intrusion. Apart from the sand we've got no other hints: the culprit is unknown. The items stolen in Japan were these: a quill, a frame, a _coin_ and a doll. There a lot of them stolen overseas which don't have too much of a value. What's more: there are some peculiarities. The reason why we can't identity the robber is in there."

She'd brought up a screen showing the four items before focusing back on the quill.

"For example, on the museum… There's a crown being exhibited but what was stolen was the quill. There was a manuscript but items with higher value than that weren't stolen. The same thing happened in other places: common thieves always target valuable things. But this one doesn't do that." She continued.

Netto was blinking and seemingly trying to process this briefing while Enzan looked like he was starting to form an idea of the whole deal given his determined look.

_Heh. Mr. Ijuuin is starting to think of a method to check if there's any connection between these items? I'm surprised, too, and totally agree with _Mademoiselle _Manabe… Who'd be crazy enough to steal all that rather worthless stuff when there was more valuable stuff nearby? Unless that they're targeted by some lunatic collector who wants to form his own crazy collection… _"K. S." was thinking about the briefing too.

He sighed and stretched inside of his car as he looked at the building.

_Can you unravel this enigma, gentlemen?_

15:01 PM (Japan Time)…

"… A quill, a frame, a _coin_ and a doll… A~H! I don't get it!"

Netto was working with his school terminal seemingly trying to piece something together: he clutched his head in exasperation and dropped it on the table, defeated: Meiru walked up the aisle and stopped next to him with a surprised look.

"What are ya doing, Netto?"

"Guess ya know about the serial robbery cases. I'm deducing what objects the culprit might target next…"

_Maybe he wants to make a collection out of them._ Saito suggested.

_What the heck? Why would you make a collection of such pointless things? The guys who make collections show expensive and valuable things over the TV…_

_Maybe the guy wants to be a weirdo to begin with. _Saito suggested next.

_I'm gonna get another nerve attack at this rate. _

_You're too pessimistic, otouto!_

_Go your own something-way, niisan._ Netto grumbled.

_Don't you mean my "half'- way?"_Saito asked with a hint of amusement.

_Whatever… _Netto replied: he was feeling out of energies.

_Heh, heh, heh… _

"It ain't easy being a "Net Savior"… Huh? I think I know this quill from somewhere…" Meiru commented.

"Meiru – chan… Have you been to the museum?" Netto asked her while looking interested.

"N-no… That's not it… Ah! TV! It was on a TV show of some sort." She admitted.

"TV, huh…" Netto looked back at the data.

_The stolen items must have a common point: the authors, the era, the monetary appreciation, the owner… _

Enzan was also running his searches.

"Huh? This is…!" He gasped.

"… Akihara Elementary School's Hikari Netto - kun?"

Sunayama was standing in the lobby of the DNN building and he'd seemingly been told Netto wanted to speak with him.

"Good afternoon!" Netto greeted.

"Ah! It's you!" Sunaya politely greeted back.

He guided Netto towards an elevator.

"The data of the filming…?"

"They might display some hints regarding the serial robbery cases."

"If that's the reason then I'll be more than happy to give you a hand."

"K. S." suddenly walked over to them all of a sudden while keeping both hands on his pockets.

"Excuse me." He called out.

"What is it?" Sunayama asked.

"Is Matsuda – dono here today?" He asked.

"Matsuda – san… The Network Security Chief, you mean to say? You'll find him in his office by going down this corridor." Sunayama replied.

"Excellent. By the way… Did you know that your Cousin is plotting to recruit you for a show starring two _half-brothers_?" The man suddenly told Sunayama with a hint of amusement.

"My Cousin…? You mean Cousin Yuuden? You know him?" Sunayama sounded somewhat surprised.

"I was told about him. If you shall excuse me… I shall be going."

The man whistled a tune as he stepped away but something had been triggered on Netto.

_Cousin… _Half-brothers_… Where have I heard that before?_

_It rings a bell somewhere…_ Saito admitted.

_That man… I've seen him somewhere before!_

_I get the same feeling, too._

They climbed some floors and entered a server room.

"All of our data is in this room. We do not only store data from our broadcasts but from our filings as well. You're free to bring out any of the archived stuff."

"Thank you, Sunayama – san."

"Yeah! See you around." Sunayama replied before leaving.

"Let's do it, niisan."

"O.K.! Otouto!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Rock Man came in and examined the huge server behind him.

"Whoa! It's that big…! It'll be troublesome to have to search it all…" He complained, for once.

"Just look for anything fishy. We'll judge it afterwards."

"Yup."

Rock Man approached his hand to the server and started a search in a calm manner.

"The museum… Maybe this will do?"

He sent some data to the PET: it displayed a picture of the museum's entrance and of the most prominent items.

"The quill! This is it!"

"This is footage recorded before the theft." Rock Man announced.

"It doesn't look like the culprit set anything up… And there doesn't seem to be anything weird either…"

"Is there anyone fishy?" Rock Man asked.

"Hum… There isn't that type of…"

The camera was spanning to the right and Netto suddenly spotted a familiar face.

"Huh? I think I've recognized someone…"

He zoomed in to recognize Airstar.

"Charlie! Why is he over there?" He wondered.

The guy was talking with a lady in the scene.

"I wouldn't mind signing a deal with the Demon to be worth of your love, ma'am." He flirted with her.

"This guy… He keeps on flirting with ladies even in that kind of place…" He sighed in defeat.

Some electricity travelled through some wires and got inside of the DNN's basement parking: the fluorescents flickered and electricity fell on Sunayama's car antenna, making it frizzle: a silhouette entered a car's computers and it smiled.

"Hmpf."

It put a beacon inside of the car's computer before it fled the scene while Rock Man kept on browsing.

"Netto – kun! I'm bringing up the next one."

The picture of another building appeared: the painting exhibition hall.

"This is the Painting Exhibition Hell from which the frame was stolen. This was filmed before the theft."

"There aren't any outstanding spots here either…"

Netto brought up the footage recorded inside.

"Miss! Is there a bright future shining in my canvas?"

"Huh? It can't be!"

Netto zoomed in.

"Charlie!" He exclaimed.

"If we were to express our mutual love… It would climb sky-high!"

"Otouto!" Rock Man showed up his face in a corner of the display.

"Yeah! This is _too_ suspicious! Niisan! Check out if Charlie was present at other scenes, too." He requested.

"Roger!"

Saito brought up the footage from the Money Memorial Museum.

"Thanks to this "love" your film will become glorious!"

The Fine Art Museum came up next.

"What a cute _angel_! She will be as precious as an angel!" He told a baby.

_There's no mistaking that: Charlie is the culprit! He's always strolling into the scenes!_

_Maybe._

_Let's keep at it!_

A beep sounded inside of an office and one screen which happened to be displaying graphs and the name "Sunayama" on it suddenly frizzled: multiple screens were brought up: Saito then spotted a section of the server which was frizzling.

"What's going on, I wonder…? Otouto! Someone is accessing a TV station's terminal!"

"Ain't that a TV station employee?" Netto asked.

Saito suddenly spotted a figure reflecting in his eyes.

"Wrong! A Navi!" Saito exclaimed.

"A Navi?" Netto wondered.

Rock Man warped into another section to find the Navi.

This Navi could be over a meter and sixty tall maybe closer to a seventy in height and his main color was bright yellow.

His overall body shape was that of a man-helicopter hybrid: his face's "skin" was a dull brownish tone: his eyes were plain cyan pyramid-like shapes aiming downwards with black edges surrounding them: two black stripes ran down in a parallel manner down his face marking the boundary between the section with the nose and mouth and the rest of the face.

Their helmet a reddish front with a curved black vertical cavity having a small yellow dot set there: the rest of it was yellow in color and his ear-pads' edges were black in color: two white circles split by thin lines were drawn there.

Their upper chest included a protruding windshield shape which meant to be the front of the chopper: their shoulders had yellowish "X" letters over black backgrounds set on them.

Their arms had a stretch of grayish "skin" and ended in a round base: a bright thin band marked the boundary between both sections: the forearms were yellow in color and they covered the top of the hands: a white extension looking like a chopper's skids' was attached to the outer side of each arm.

The lower body was unarmored and simply had blackish "skin" over it: some device was set on his crotch before the legs began: they were attached to the sides of the body as if wanting to remind the viewer that that they were mechanical: the upper part of them was colored yellow but there was a white stretch stopping at the knees: a bluish stripe marked the spot where the knees would be at: the legs were very thin and included some outer flaps close to the ankles: a white circle with a blue ring inside of it was set on the middle of the foot frame while a white stripe travelled across its length.

As if it was essential, a four-blade-rotor had been attached to a yellow protruding piece of armor set on his back.

"You! Over there! What are you doing?"

The guy turned and looked surprised: he made a grimace.

"I've never seen this Navi before!" Rock Man muttered aloud.

"Hah!"

The Navi activated the rotor on his back and flew to the top of the data tower: Rock Man examined it next.

"This is… Sunayama – san's personal data…!" He exclaimed.

"Che."

The Navi jumped into the air and spread his arms and legs: they suddenly compacted to the form a chopper's skids: his legs fused into the tail with the second rotor, and the head was hid inside of the compacted body with the front now being occupied by the windshield: the shoulders became side-cylinders while the piece on their crotch was now located below the start of the tail: they had, in essence, become a toy chopper.

_What! A Navi capable of transforming into another shape…! Who are they working for? Are they an "Asteroid" or…? _Freeze Man gasped as he showed up close by.

"He transformed!" Netto exclaimed.

"Hold it right there!" Rock Man yelled as he ran after him.

The chopper veered around and shot a missile to Rock Man's feet from a small compartment just slightly behind the windshield: the missile made him fall into the ground.

"What speed he has!"

"Do your best, Rock Man! Don't lose sight of them!"

_Chase them, Rock Man! We need to get to the bottom of this: I'm late for trying to catch the signature of the "Asteroid"… _

Netto skated down the streets and stopped next to a hanger standing inside of a small airfield compound.

"Otouto! The guy is inside of that storage building." Saito reported.

Airstar was talking to the Navi who was inside of his PET III.

"Getting a hold of you and following you here… They have to be a strong Navi."

Netto entered and Airstar turned.

"Huh? Welcome! Hikari Netto."

"Charlie! That Navi is yours! Right? You accursed serial robbery culprit: return the stolen goods!"

"The stolen goods…?"

"It's useless to pretend! You were filmed by the DNN Director in the scenes of the crimes before they happened!"

"The Director, huh…"

"You snuck into the TV station to sabotage that!"

"And what are you going to do about it? Do you wanna catch me and Gyro Man?" Charlie asked with a smile.

"That's obvious! Let's go! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Interesting! Let's play around, Gyro Man! Plug In! Gyro Man, Transmission!"

Both Navis logged in: Gyro Man smiled.

"Heh, heh, heh."

_Gyro Man… And their Operator is named Charlie Airstar, a private for-rent-chopper pilot… Maybe they're an accomplice._

"We'll definitely apprehend you! Go for it, Rock Man!"

"Rock Buster!"

Gyro Man easily dodged the attack by flying around.

"Hah! This stuff…" Charlie smiled.

"How's this, then? Battle Chip, Element Flare! Slot In!"

Netto manually slotted the Chip in and Rock Man shot the attack towards Gyro Man.

"Gyro Form!"

Gyro Man transformed into the chopper and dodged.

"Gyro Man! Let's play with them for a bit."

"Gyro Air Force!"

He shot a missile towards Rock Man's feet and the shockwave sent him flying.

"How's this instead? Soul Unison: Blues Soul!"

Netto activated "Blues Soul" and Rock Man gained Blues' form.

"You're gonna let me see the rumored "Soul Unison", huh?"

"Gyro Air Force!"

"Variable Sword!"

Rock Man cut the missile in half and jumped upwards.

"Not yet!" Gyro Man exclaimed.

Gyro Man shot a string of missiles and Rock Man cut the three of them: one of the explosions' shockwaves reached Gyro Man and a cloud of dust ensued.

"Well done! However! You can't know Gyro Man's location because of this smoke!" Charlie sounded confident.

"Soul Unison: Search Soul!" Netto announced.

Rock Man switched to the "Search Soul" next and Charlie immediately caught the grace of that form.

_Catching up?_

Rock Man scanned and the "lock on" symbol appeared.

"Shoot!"

"Gyro Man!"

Gyro Man dodged just in time.

"He dodged!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"Gyro Form!"

Gyro Man de-morphed into his normal form before he grabbed his rotor and threw it towards Rock Man: he jumped to dodge and the "Soul Unison" was cancelled.

"Sword, Slot In!"

Gyro Man picked the rotor and dismantled it into two pieces to use as swords while Rock Man headed towards him: they clashed and both Operators gasped.

_Stalemate? _Freeze Man wondered.

_Interesting! _"K. S." grinned.

The two Navis broke apart and each one landed in the ground: they each had a wound on their left shoulder pad.

"Hmpf." Charlie smiled.

"Agh." Netto hissed while sweating.

Charlie, however, eyed a radar screen.

"Huh? He's moving out? Gyro Man: Plug Out!"

Rock Man gasped upon seeing him leave and Netto was baffled.

"What the heck? Hey! Hold it right there! What the…?" Netto demanded.

Netto tried to chase him only to find him inside of his chopper which was already ready to take off.

_Were they monitoring someone's movements? _"K. S." wondered.

"My bad! I've got something to take care of!"

He flew away all of a sudden.

"Hey! Don't run away!" He yelled.

Netto looked about to explode before his PET beeped.

"Huh? Enzan?" Netto asked.

"I know what the culprit plans on robbing next." Enzan went straight to the point.

_Oh! Is that so? Good, Mr. Ijuuin! _

Netto headed away while "K. S." drove away from the scene before he parked next to a shopping center: he brought out a laptop and began to type into it to bring up the _"Le Monde" _website.

"_MONSIEUR SHADOW SCHEMER & COMPANY DO IT AGAIN"_

"Heh. As expected. Let's see… "After 5 consecutive strikes in the radius of Paris the action switches to Marseille and Toulouse: this mysterious organization has a simple methodology yet their criteria for picking places to hit seems to be none and more like they're picked at random thus making it impossible to properly allocate defending policemen because they might wait the whole week and nothing would ever happen. This group has some enigmatic Net Navi the figure of which has never been witnessed and it's powerful enough to disable all security in a breeze and leave no trace of their presence save for some monetary transactions which become damaged during tracing and their destination remains unknown: then some real-world agents pick up the coins, bills and gold before pulling out. The police are overwhelmed because sometimes several places will suffer a Virus assault at the same time which keeps them busy. Where are they going to strike next?" … Hmpf… Cousin's put up quite a show… As expected… Well. You stay there, Cousin… I'll handle Japan myself… And one day… We'll settle the score."

He made a smug smile and looked up to something…

03:48 AM (Japan Time), Friday June the 5th…

_The signature is close by…_

Freeze Man looked on as the Cyber World of two twin tower buildings was normal for the time being: the "figure" came in.

"Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…"

A large detached hand loomed over the Cyber Core and gripped it: the environment became a cybernetic desert next.

"Hrum…"

A CCTV camera met the floor and the thief stood in front of an exhibition case having a box with two pendants inside of its cushioned body: they grinned.

"Heh."

Something suddenly exploded on the ground where the "figure" was at and Freeze Man gasped.

_Who did that?_

Gyro Man's chopper form flew across the air: the "figure" emerged and it turned out to be "Asteroid" Desert Man.

_Wasn't it obvious to begin with?_

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The thief had picked the box.

"That's as far as you come! I've caught you red-handed!"

The thief happened to be Sunayama and Airstair had showed up there: Sunayama grumbled.

"Gotta be kidding me… Desert Man!" He commanded as he drew a brownish PET III.

Desert Man lifted his detached hands and formed some kind of sandstorm which blew Gyro Man's form away.

"Uah!"

"Gyro Man! What _power_! This is not comparable to any other type of Navi!" He gasped.

"You'd be better off not thinking you can beat Desert Man. I'll have your Navi sink within the sands!"

"Uwra~h!"

Gyro Man had lost his compact form and Desert Man had grabbed him while extending his detached hands and exerting pressure: Desert Man growled something while Gyro Man was agonizing.

_Che. Savages. Eat medicine! _

Freeze Man swung his right hand in a wide arch: some smaller diamonds formed in front of the bigger one and shot forward, plunging into Desert Man's "hat" from behind and getting absorbed.

_They'll emit a sound which will make you feel dizzy for about 15 seconds: enough time to turn the thing around._

A sonic slice suddenly cut through the air coming from above and behind Desert Man and hit the arms.

"Wruo ~h!"

He let go of Gyro Man who fell into the sand: Sunayama gasped.

"What!"

"That's…!" Gyro Man gasped.

Rock Man and Blues were standing atop a column of rock and Rock Man had an uninterested look to him tonight, for once.

_Ah! I like that look: not impressed anymore, eh? So maybe you're maturing a bit, Rock Man? Shuryou would be amused to know._

"Don't move!" Netto commanded.

"Huh!"

"The "Net Saviors" came!" Netto announced.

"Hikari Netto! You chased me again?" Airstar asked.

"What's going on? Charlie ain't the culprit?"

"These incident's culprits is Desert Man's Operator: Sunayama Noboru!"

"Che. Hmpf!"

"Sunayama – san! But why would the TV Station Director do that?"

_Good question. _Freeze Man admitted.

"All of the stolen goods _had_ a common trait!" Enzan let out.

"Really!"

"And that's… Wily!" Enzan revealed.

"Wily…?"

_Dr. Wily? How is he related to such crappy goods?_

"The culprit targeted works of art which Wily used to own: the "Wily Collection". The castanets you've picked are one such item!"

"Back then… That gal showed up…" Sunayama admitted.

_Slur. That woman. _Freeze Man inwardly grumbled.

_Sunayama had been working on something with his PC one day when it'd suddenly shone: he'd gasped in surprise and Slur's live transmission had popped out there._

"_I shall bestow Duo's power to you too." She'd told him._

_Several menus had popped out while she'd cut the transmission: Desert Man had then appeared on the computer and he'd kept on gasping in awe and surprise. _

"… Now that I've gotten this much power… It was inevitable that I'd end up using it!"

"… "Using it"…!" Netto made a grimace.

"Hmmm?"

"Using it! Navis ain't power! They're friends!"

"Don't say crappy stuff! Power is there to be used! Dimensional Chip: Slot In! Desert Man!"

"Whoa!"

"Uowo~h!"

Desert Man materialized and created a lot of sand which broke out of the building and began to push them back: Enzan managed to hold on by using an exhibition pedestal as cover.

"Science Labs! Deploy the "Dimensional Area"!"

Meijin deployed it: Desert Man appeared at the base of the tower and left Sunayama on the street just as the "Dimensional Area" finished forming: Sunayama was stuck out of its encompassing space.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The two "Net Saviors" performed the maneuver and prepared to face the "Asteroid": Airstar was baffled.

"This is "Cross Fusion"…!" He gasped.

A sand wave hit him and both "Net Saviors" dodged just in time: they did not see the diamonds hitting Desert Man's hat from behind again: he did growl and looked dizzy for a few seconds.

"Crap!" "CF" Netto uttered.

By the time they'd landed back Desert Man was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" "CF" Blues wondered while looking around.

A punch of sand came out and hit them thus sending them flying and they landed in the sand: "CF" Netto drew the Rock Buster.

"Beat 'em, Desert Man!" Sunayama ordered.

"Lion Head!"

They barely dodged the incoming attack.

"I know your weakness! Battle Chip, Bubble Shot!"

He shot but the water got absorbed.

"It ain't gonna work…" Desert Man proclaimed.

"Water's no longer his weakness!" "CF" Netto realized.

"That guy's now an "Asteroid" of Duo: he's not the same Desert Man he was before!" "CF" Blues guessed.

"CF" Blues jumped and made a slice on Desert Man's right side: he sank in the sand.

"… Huh…! He's totally erased his signature… He's powered up in several aspects… All of these are possible for the "Asteroids"…!"

Desert Man suddenly popped out behind him.

"Lion Head!"

They both barely dodged it and both stood with their backs glued while looking around.

"We won't be able to hit Desert Man at this rate!" "CF" Blues cursed.

"And water-type attacks don't work… Water… Weakness… I see! Enzan!"

"Good!" "CF" Blues confirmed.

"Battle Chip, Geyser, Tornado!"

"Mwoh, ho, ho, ho… Where are you aiming at? The attacks of you lowlifes are just soaking the ground!" His voice echoed around the room.

"That's our aim! Battle Chip, Elec Blade!"

The wet sand conducted the electricity and it hit Desert Man, thus giving away his position: his face emerged and he roared in pain.

"Water can conduct electricity… Now we can attack even if we don't know your spot!"

Desert Man fully emerged into the surface.

"Now! Battle Chip, Long Blade!"

"Wide Blade!"

The two swords left a visible cut on the" Asteroid" just below his nose.

"Guo~h! GRUO~H!"

He was forced to "log-out" and re-appeared inside of Sunayama's PET III.

"Che." He cursed.

The "Dimensional Area" faded: both "Net Saviors" retrieved their PET IIIs and Sunayama ran for his hide.

"Hold it right there!" Enzan exclaimed as he and Netto gave chase.

"You won't get away!" Netto added.

They chased him into one of the top floors of the adjacent tower.

"I've got ya!" Sunayama exclaimed from somewhere nearby.

"What?" Netto gasped.

They noticed sand raining down from the ceiling: the mass propelled them out of the skyscraper, but, luckily, Airstar's chopper deployed a special triangle-shaped thin mattress to pick them up: Sunayama looked on from the street.

"What lucky dudes." He grumbled.

_Hmpf… I've set my dragonfly on you too… Now we'll see if you're really the one interested in the "Wily Collection" or not… _"K. S." grinned as he looked on from close by.

The sun began to emerge and both "Net Saviors" chatted with Airstar about what had happened.

"Thanks, Charlie!"

"Sadly… Sunayama Noboru managed to run away… Ah… Really _shocking_."

"_Shocking_?" Netto asked.

"Even while being a high-prided "love" _pilot_… There's isn't much _shocking _parts to that, you see… I _shockingly_ caught the culprit as they were stealing a work of art from a rich guy's house… I thought that the guy reeked so that's why I was always on his trail, you know."

"What… You could've said that from the start!" Netto slightly blushed at the news.

Airstar shrugged and prepared to leave with his chopper but Netto felt uneasy as the guy took off.

"… Huh… But… I wonder why Sunayama was targeting the "Wily Collection"… Speaking of "Wily Maniacs"… Could it be…?"

_That rings a bell! _Freeze Man gasped.

"No. Gauss and Magnet Man are in prison by now." Enzan quickly shot down Netto's hypothesis.

_Ah! I thought as much. Well. Gauss and Magnet Man did do a good job when in "Gospel", directing all attention to them and protecting Shuryou's existence… There was some mess with Rock Man infiltrating their computers and then Magnet Man being deleted after which Gauss was left to save his hide… Commander Beef caught him a few months ago…_

"… It was a close thing… But the "Net Saviors" got in the way…"

Sunayama was reporting to someone in an office somewhere: the floor had the blue letters "WWW" on it and portraits of Wily occupied the walls: someone was sitting in a revolving chair and looking out.

"I apologize, President Gauss."

The "someone" happened to be the woman spotted during the Earth Erasure day: they sported a red skirt, purple stockings and black heeled shoes apart from the blouse: they turned to the right to look.

_I've got a bad feeling about this… Sunayama is but a pawn of someone else… Who are they? What do they seek? I don't know yet…_


	5. Chapter 5: Navi Car Race

**Chapter 5: Navi Car Race!**

15:55 PM (Japan Time), Sunday June the 7th…

_Hum! It looks interesting._

Some technicians (sporting a black pit crew uniform with black edges) were working on some blue-colored car which looked like an F1 car: they were being observed by "K. S." via one of his dragonflies as they lowered the armor covering the engine and locked it into place: another set one wheel in place: the front armor lowered and they used a device to secure the wheel in place.

_Heh, heh, heh…_

Another technician worked on some programming using a laptop connected to the car: the "OK" symbol popped out and the garage's shutter opened: cheering could be heard all of a sudden as light illuminated the vehicle, revealing it to have the "IPC" logo marked twice on the armor over its rear wheels.

"Counting on ya, Rock Man!"

Netto and Enzan (who wore the same pit crew clothes along with a pass hanging from his neck) looked on while Rock Man, sitting inside of a virtual cockpit, nodded.

"Yep!"

_Let's check the TV…_

He looked up at a gigantic LCD screen overlooking the spectator's seats which was displaying aerial footage of the race tracks.

"Let's go record the scene of the "Navigation Car Race" AKA "Navi Car Race"!"

The images switched to display several automated-looking vehicles parked in a row in front of each team's garage.

"A course which will be tackled by unmanned cars: it is the world's most endurance-hardest course!"

_Hum! I did well on coming here. It really looks interesting._

"Given how they're holding this year's race in Japan for their first time, some local Japanese teams have been specially invited too! Well then! Please check out our interviews!"

She began to interview a man on his late 20s or early 30s who was completely skinned-headed and had brownish irises: his face didn't have any facial hair on its surface.

He wore a white cap with a brownish outer edge on the center which had brown center on the center of it: the cap included two spheres from which purple strings forming a pack of "hair" aiming for the ground.

His other clothes included a pitch crew uniform with a bright brown main body and purplish edges and sleeves.

"Our house owns a genuine DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) mecha, you see. I have confidence on the management of the machine's functionality. We do not intend to lose."

Next was Enzan, who walked down the lane with his eyes closed and looked like he was speaking out of a need and not because he liked being interviewed.

"We have the sufficient means. We will not disclose details about the machine but I think that the driver Navi's performance will be a high-level one."

"Team IPC has suddenly set its aim on the championship title yet…"

"We have the strength to rise up to the challenge."

"Please do your best!"

"Thank you."

"… Huh… Starting the day after tomorrow… The 20-something pre-eliminatory contestants will be treated to a typical _onsen…_! Ladies and gentlemen…! Enjoy!"

"We'll finish in a perfect manner!"

Netto was checking along with Enzan the two cars, red and blue, with the IPC letters engraved on them.

"Yeah. To be honest, I wasn't expecting Rock Man to make his way so far, even…" Enzan looked dull and unimpressed.

"Heh, heh! Guess so! Guess so!"

"Guess that's to be expected of Rock Man."

"Heh, heh! Guess so! Guess so!"

"By the way…"

"Heh, heh! What, what?"

"I don't need you around." He duly let out.

"Guess so…! HUH!"

Netto snapped out of it and looked at Enzan but he didn't change his face to begin with.

_Mr. Ijuuin can come up with his own "reality distortion field" when he wants to, eh? Anyway… We had that incident with "Asteroid" Stone Man and that _Mademoiselle_ named Hazuki Yui… That was solved…_

"We've made use of both spare cars yet… In the end both were fit to take part in the race… I was just borrowing Rock Man's strength…"

Blues was checking the systems of his car and Rock Man did the same with his own car.

"This race doesn't need the Operator's strength. The Navis must make their way to the goal by their very own strength. In short: it doesn't matter if you're around or not."

"Huh! Don't say such cold things!" Netto protested.

"Well! I don't mind letting you participate but if I did then I'll have you work as part of the "pit crew"."

"HUH?"

_Oh come on! What's with your mood today, Mr. Ijuuin? That's how you thank the friend who did the impossible to try to save Blues when "Nebula" had turned him into a "Darkloid"? You can be rather selfish when you set your mood to it, Mr. Ijuuin!_

"And I'd also like not to have people sticking around. We're aiming for the championship, you know."

"Ah… How cruel…" Netto sighed in defeat.

_Truly._

"Huff! Well. Can't be helped, I guess… I can always check it out through the PET anyway… By the way… Are there any "rivals" around?" Netto tried to switch topics.

"The "Navi Car Race" is original from Ameroupe. Fuchisa's Inc. and GIRAFT Inc.'s machines have won the championship several times already." Enzan explained.

"Hmmm…"

"Especially… GIRAFT Inc.'s machine incorporates some functions to assist the Ameroupe Army."

"Hum. Are there any others?"

"There aren't any other strong rivals but… Guess so… Team Shine can be ignored, I guess. They're not good at developing functional Navis and they're always in need of help: they lack experience." Enzan calmly exposed.

"Hum…"

"Well. As long as both Blues and Rock Man are here… They don't stand a chance."

"Oh! Guess so!"

_Let's see this "Team Shine"… _

"… What the hell are you doing, Shine Man!"

The interviewed man was yelling into a PET III as a car with the label "SHINE" on it struggled to get out of the sand terrain next to the track into which it had fallen.

"E-excuse me, sir!"

The car tried forcing it but the motor overheated and something exploded: the "pit crew" members rushed out.

"Gra~h! Think more properly, Shine Man!"

The car was brought in and repairs began.

"How many try-outs do you think we've done already?"

Shine Man was a poorly-looking run-of-the-mill Navi with some kind of faceplate in front of his face: two yellowish eyes shone from inside it and they looked depressed: they appealed as being one Net Navi with a poor conception of their own selves.

"Excuse me, sir…"

"We won't get anywhere unless you drive the machine as if it were your own hands and feet!"

"Hands and feet…? What should I do with my hands and feet…?"

"That's not it! Jeez! We aren't making progress even if the fire hadn't drained power from the machine…!

"How's the situation like, Saiko – kun?"

"Ah!"

A businessman on his 50s came in accompanied by two secretaries who surely weren't 30 yet.

"M-Mr. President! Sir! All is progressing as expected, sir."

"I'm glad to hear that. Our company has invested a fortune in this project: failures won't be tolerated."

"Yes, sir! The machine's performance is top-class, sir!"

"I see! I see! Exploit their potential."

"We'll do, sir."

"I've heard it. Well then! Hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Please leave it to us, sir!"

"Master Saiko! Trouble, sir! Our spare car…!" A "pit crew" member rushed into the garage while Saiko was still looking inside.

"Oho! Team Shine's machine's has crashed! It's on fire! It's on fire!"

The machine had veered off-course, hit some tires, and the engine suddenly exploded again, getting on fire: Midorikawa's voice rang out through a speaker as he reported.

"Gra~h…"

Saiko had dropped to his fours out of exasperation.

_Hum! Frustration, exasperation… Will Slur target him? Something tells me that they move around the "Cross Fusion" users because that seemingly is what picks that Duo guy… Let's monitor them._

"… They've gotten into big trouble just before the pre-eliminatory!" She announced next.

Saiko got working that night to fix the machine's software: a small graph on the SE corner of the screen displayed the name "Flash" which indicated the vehicle's denomination: his PET, having a simplistic yellow drawing on it, was connected to the computer.

"Ah…! How terrible…! Only one "spare car" is left… If it were to crash then…! Huh!"

He glanced at Shine Man.

"If only you lowlife had done it properly…!"

"E-excuse me, sir."

_Well. No wonder they last out at him._

"Huh…! No…! Even if I were to scold Shine Man by now… That wouldn't benefit us… But… What should I do? I won't be able to win…! I won't be able to showcase how I win the championship…! HECK!"

His screen suddenly flickered.

"Ah!" He gasped and looked up.

Slur appeared on the screen (with her usual background) and Saiko stood up from the surprise.

"W-who…?"

_I knew it!_

"Just do not mind who I am. I have come to grant you power."

"What?" He wondered.

"You shall show me your tenacity."

Shine Man yelled as he was replaced by "Asteroid" Flash Man who calmly stood there.

_Flash Man! This guy was troublesome in the past._

"What's this…?"

"Flash Man. He will undoubtedly guide you to victory." Slur calmly announced.

"Flash Man…"

"I'll be your Navi from today onwards. No trouble, I guess…" Flash Man calmly told him.

"Will he really allow me to win?" Saiko asked of Slur.

"But of course." She quickly confirmed.

"Heh, heh… No trouble… If you bring me victory, that is!" He smiled and looked eager.

_Trouble. With capital T. Che._

17:11 PM (Japan Time), Monday June the 8th…

_Rehearsal day… Will Flash Man act today? No! They'll wait for the race day…_

"K. S." looked on from the grades as IPC's "Blue Sun" dodged a rock and dashed forward.

"Go for it, niisan!" Netto cheered.

"Goal! Team IPC's "Blue Moon"! It's achieved the goal as smoothly as their fellow "Red Sun"! It stands atop the scores!"

"You did it!" Netto exclaimed.

"The machine from GIRAFT Inc. is coming." Enzan announced.

Another vehicle crossed the goal by smashing the rock so as to save time.

"Goal! GIRAFT's Gigantes stands atop the scores!"

"Aw!" Netto was down now.

"As I suspected: it's a powerful one."

"Oho! A machine displaying incredible performance has shown up!"

"Goal! Team Shine's "Flash" beats the pre-eliminatory!"

"Wow! It's won the pre-eliminatory!" One Team Shine member uttered.

"What's happened?" Another wondered.

"Go! Go for it!" Saiko exclaimed from inside of the garage.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Flash Man inwardly chuckled.

"Wow…" Netto was also surprised.

"Team Shine's performance has come this far…!"

"They've radically improved!"

"Well then! The pre-eliminatory is over! The true race is finally about to occur! Ladies and gentlemen! Enjoy!"

16:04 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 9th…

"… E~H? Rock Man is gonna come out on _THE_ "Navi Car Race"?"

Netto was showcasing to his friends and Meiru gasped.

"Yup! The pre-eliminatory finished yesterday!"

"Wow! That's nice!" Hikawa exclaimed.

"I'm jealous! Chu!"

"Heh, heh, heh!" Netto chuckled.

"But… In the "Navi Car Race"… The Operator doesn't do anything…?"

"I heard they don't! Chu!"

"The Operator doesn't, but they participate in the race! They're the "pit crew"!"

"Isn't that loop-holing?"

"That's Enzan's strings! Chu!"

"What." Hikawa sounded annoyed.

"It was obvious! Chu!"

"Ne~?" The three of them asked.

"Hey! If you say that then I won't give you these staff passes I bothered to get!" Netto exclaimed as he held three tags out.

They all waved their arms and no one else noticed: they picked them up and laughed.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

"Man…" Netto grumbled.

"Hey, hey! Since tomorrow's the "race" then some "Race Queens" are gonna show up, right?"

"Huh? Hum… Well… Given how it's a race… Guess so…"

"… Whoa~! Well then! Tomorrow we'll be scouts and pick up some modern trends! What should I do? I can't go without a swimsuit! Heh, heh, heh!" Meiru blushed and got thrilled.

"But I thought that the "Race Queens" must be adult misses! Chu!" Chisao argued.

"Meiru – chan can't…" Netto trailed off.

"Maybe Mariko – sensei would get it but…" Hikawa muttered.

"Hmmm…"

They pictured both Meiru and Mariko in "Race Queen" outfits and seemed to think Mariko would easily eclipse Meiru: they silently nodded in approval while Meiru kept on giggling: she suddenly got annoyed and brought both fists down on the desk: the three of them gasped and instinctively pulled away before Meiru resumed blushing and nervously giggling.

_Well. That _mademoiselle_… How should I put it? They are somewhat driven by _clichéd _things… No offense, obviously, yet… Hum… That of the "Race Queen" seems to be a one-sided thing… Something which is rather… What, vulgar? Guess so. _"K. S." sighed inside of the car.

_Eh… Netto – kun! Do you remember the man we met in the DNN TV Station? I just remembered about them: they're "K. S."!_ Saito suddenly brought up.

_Whoa! We had him there and let him slip without being able to ask anything to him! _Netto inwardly gasped.

_We were too concentrated in finding out about those robberies… But the words "cousin" and "half-brothers" were hints to make us remember about him… And I wouldn't be surprised if he can see what's happening around us as we speak… I know he's an ally but even so…_

_Yeah… That mania of always showing up in a moment where I can't stop skating or I'm busy with something else is somewhat too much…_

_I wonder… Do they have some hidden goal or…?_

17:49 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday June the 10th…

"… Without humans' intervention… Without the help of humans… In a harsh course yet untouched by human hands… Filled with struggle and hardship and stakes… Navi and machine run across a course which awakens the honor in them just like humans… The 1st page of a new legend… "Navigation Car Race" _in_ Japan!" Midorikawa dramatically announced.

The public chorused as the "Race Queens" posed next to the vehicles or in top of them: several photographers and cameramen filmed them.

"Wow! Cool!"

Meiru and the others were looking at the display.

"There are a lot of cool machines! Chu!"

"It'll be troublesome to scout them all!" Meiru was blushing.

"It's alright, it's alright…" Hikawa muttered with a resigned face which he shared with Chisao.

"What'll be "alright"?" Meiru looked annoyed.

"It'll be alright for a while… Chu…" Chisao muttered.

"… Huh? Why don't we know how much time's left until the start?"

Netto had changed into the "pit crew" uniform and was speaking with Enzan as they looked how the other "pit crew" members worked on the two cars.

_Let's check the public… Huh? _

"K. S." had been checking the public when he spotted a man who stood out about three rows below his: they wore a black open raincoat and a reddish Ferrari cap turned around: since he could only see their back that's all he could distinguish.

_That height… Could it be? Let's try to listen in… _

He moved the dragonfly closer and left it hovering just behind its body.

"… Hmpf. Heh. _Le ombre intrigant_…!" The man muttered in whispered French.

_I knew it! "Shadow Schemer"! Why have they come? Wait. Maybe they're trying to provoke us and they've just come to see the race… Let's wait: and I think that we should care about the "Asteroid" too…_

"It's a trait of the show. It's to test the Navi's ability to make decisions, you see."

"No wonder they name it a though race…"

"Netto – kun!"

"Huh?"

"We've come to cheer!"

Hikawa and Chisao came along with Meiru who had an annoyed or offended look to her: "K. S" looked at how the Frenchman intercrossed his hand's fingers.

"… _Le glace reine_…"

_The "Ice Queen"…! They're confirming what I suspected._

"… We came! Chu!"

"Oh! I'll be counting on you!" Netto told them.

"We'll soon _start_. Let's polish the preparations."

Netto nodded and Saito entered the "Blue Moon" Cyber World and sat on the pilot's seat: he brought up the diagnostic screens.

"Hum… Eh…" He muttered as he checked the controls.

He noticed a shadow looming over him.

"Huh? Roll – chan!"

He looked up and spotted Roll dressed like a "Race Queen": he gasped.

"Heh, heh! Do your best, Rock Man!" She giggled.

Blues was doing the same when he spotted Ice Man.

"Hmmm?"

"Heh, heh! Do your…!"

"Don't need it. It's dangerous so come out."

The DNN chopper flew into the sky

"… The length of the course is 300 kilometers! That's all which the audience knows! And that's all which has been told to the participating teams too! The Navis will defy this course with their respective machines as they make their way through it!"

Each vehicle's environment gained 3D imagery of the real world so that they could see their path: the engines roared and began to get ready while the signal began to count down: the "GO" panel turned on.

"Signal: blue! A flawless start!"

The cars shot out into the course: Netto and Enzan quickly rushed across the departure lane.

"Let's go."

"Huh? Where to?" Meiru asked.

"To the "service truck"!"

"They skip ahead and repair the machines." Hikawa explained to a puzzled Meiru..

"Hurry, hurry!"

"See! Let's hurry!"

"Ah! Wait for me!" Meiru called out.

The "service trucks" were already running out too while the DNN chopper followed the course.

"An expected favorable start! They're currently driving and heading for the sea's edge!" Midorikawa reported.

"Saito – niisan! What's the machine's status?"

"Favorable!"

"I see!"

Netto and Enzan were calling to their Navis from inside of the "service truck" while Hikawa looked at how Meiru was trying to regain her breath from the sprint she'd done to get there on time.

"The response is even better than predicted but please survey any defects which may there be." Blues reported.

"I understand." Enzan replied.

The cars kept going through a road parallel to the sea and Rock Man frowned upon seeing a ramp.

"Huh? Straight ahead?"

"Guess it's a part of the sand-beach course."

The course led the cars out of the road and into a beach: one car didn't make the ramp jump good enough and crashed into the sand.

"They're driving across the sandy beach as of now!" Midorikawa reported.

"What's the matter, Flash Man? You're being passive!"

"From now on, then…"

Flash Man started to flip the car's light on and off while making a strange sequence.

"What?" The pilot of the car in front of "Flash" wondered.

His vision turned blurred and dizzy: he lost perceptions of colors too: he veered in a mad manner and crashed the car against the wall thus blowing them up.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh." Flash Man inwardly chuckled.

Rock Man, on the meanwhile, spotted an arrow which signaled the sea: one car turned and ran into it without hesitation.

"Now we go rightwards? But there's only the sea to the right!"

"It's usual for this race to end up running across courses sans road. Let's go!"

Blues' car prepared its wheels and both of them ran into the sea.

"What a course! We thought they'd keep on running across the sandy beach but then course suddenly leads them into the sea! It'd seem that the cliffs ahead are the continuation. Will they be alright? Oh! One's sinking! Sinking! It's sunk! It unfortunately sunk! The top one by now is Giraft Inc.'s Gigantes! Number two is Glues' Zombietto! And the IPC machines are catching up behind them!"

The cars ran out of the sea, ran over some hills and picked a civilized road to keep on.

_Heh! I've got a VIP seat myself: the "Blue Sun" Cyber World! Drive on, Rock Man… Your pride is at stake! _Freeze Man, inside of his invisible diamond, was located right behind Rock Man's seat: he was grinning.

"Flash Man! What are you doing?" Saiko questioned.

"The race has barely started. Just sit back and watch." He replied.

"But…!"

"I'll get the championship so you needn't worry. I'll bury 'em."

His car was just behind "Red Sun" and Blues spotted him.

"Huh? "Flash"… They've managed to come this far. Huh?"

He started to feel the effects of the flashes despite his shades.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Blues managed to look asides to recover his focus before he could lose control.

"Blues." Saito's voice came over the radio.

Blues snapped out of that and focused again.

"We'll soon be at the first "service pack"." Saito announced.

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong?" Rock Man seemed to notice something on his voice.

"No… It's nothing…" Blues quickly replied.

"Well then… We'll gather there and have a check."

"Yeah."

"Che." Flash Man scoffed upon seeing that his trick had failed.

The vehicles ended the first stretch of the course and they underwent some maintenance: Netto and his friends stood next to the "Blue Sun" with smiles.

"… There have been no problems up until now." Saito told Netto.

"The earlier stretch was long but you managed to hold in there."

"… So then?" Enzan asked Blues.

"I don't have conclusive evidence yet, but… That flashing displayed over the monitor by the sensors could possibly be some dirty play…"

"I see. True: the "Navi Car Race" is a race in which a lot of machines have accidents, but… Even so… The number of disabled machines ahead of "Flash" is abnormal."

"Yes, sir."

"Cut off the 3D images of "Flash". You should be fine if you look at the information monitor. You can tell Saito."

"I understand, sir."

Enzan eyed Saiko some meters ahead: he was giving him the back and speaking to his PET.

"Will it be OK, Flash Man? Will you really get the championship?"

_That's to be seen. Mr. Ijuuin is two steps ahead._ "K. S." grinned.

"Leave it to me. The other things are no big deal. The only problem is Team IPC."

"Team IPC…?" Saiko asked.

"If we could get rid of them then our triumph would be rather settled."

"I don't care it! Do it!"

"Yeah… I was gonna do that even if you hadn't told me." Flash Man replied with a hint of amusement.

"Okay! The diverse machines, having undergone checking, are returning to the course! What kind of race is waiting for us? The machines which have already done it through the 1st stage are 5! It's going to become a disputed and hard race!"

The two IPC cars soon noticed "Flash" behind them.

"They came. Saito." Blues warned his partner.

"Yeah."

They switched off the holographic rear view screen: Flash Man tried the lighting trick but the cars did not react.

"Huh? Che. They're not looking behind? Huh! In that case…!"

"Don't use that now! The engine won't bear it!" Saiko exclaimed.

"Just shut your trap and look on if you wanna win!" Flash Man scoffed.

Flash Man's car sped forward and the two IPC cars moved aside: Saito gasped as Flash Man tried to use the back lights to do the trick: Saito made a grimace.

"… Hum! Set the front to 40…! 300 meters straight ahead…! Set 70 to the right…! Saito! Follow me!"

Blues' car sped forward and passed ahead of Flash Man.

"What? Why won't the hypnosis sequence take effect?" Flash Man wondered.

"Saito! I recorded the course! There's no need to look at the monitor in this stretch. Let's go!" Blues announced.

"Yeah!"

Saito sped forward as well.

"What are you gonna do, Flash Man!" Saiko hissed.

"Che. Come to this…!" He muttered.

_I knew it… They're too smart for you two, you bunch of fools. Now… That man… They're still there. _"K. S." glanced at the man.

"_Une machine infernale_…" The Frenchman muttered.

_A bomb! Where! When! Wait! He's taunting me. I won't fall for that petty trick._

"Okay! The second stage is over too! Only the third stage is left! Once the maintenance for the last stage is done then we'll go for the _last start_! Only a short pit time left: the race will soon resume!"

"… An "Asteroid" is sabotaging the race?" Netto asked.

"And he may even be taking part as a racer. It'd be fine if it ended without any tragedies." Enzan replied.

"And what do we do?" Netto asked next.

"The race is the race. We'll do what we're supposed to do."

Saiko, however, wanted to play dirty: he hacked a connection inside of the "Red Sun" car.

"Let's go, Flash Man."

"Yeah."

Flash Man walked over to the command console.

"Hmmm?"

He found Ice Man in there.

"W-who is it…?" He asked.

"Who are you lowlife? Step asides!" Flash Man told him.

He tried to attack by forming a sphere of blue electricity on his right hand which he lifted up but Blues and Rock Man entered the system.

"Ah! Flash Man!" Rock Man recognized him.

"Why are you lowlife here?" Blues demanded.

"Che. Flash Light!"

He summoned a light bulb which emitted various electric attacks towards the two of them: Blues destroyed it and Flash Man fled.

"Failure! Hurry up: set the machine off!" Saiko yelled at the crew.

"You okay, niisan?"

"Yeah!" Rock Man replied.

"Let's chase!" Enzan ordered.

"Yeah!" Netto confirmed.

The two cars sped forward into the last segment of the race.

"Okay! The last and third stage! It's gonna be nerve-racking!"

Both IPC vehicles spotted Flash in front of them: Flash Man scoffed and abruptly veered to the left, taking a shortcut.

"Ah! He plans on using a shortcut?" Saito gasped.

"… The machine won't hold on by speeding like that." Blues calmly told him.

Flash emerged from a hill and landed in the road.

"Oho! Flash has suddenly skipped forward in an impressive manner! The current set-up is Gigantes, Zombietto, and Flash! And Team IPC's "Blue Moon" and "Red Sun" are catching up too!"

"Crap." Flash Man uttered.

Flash Man used the light tricks on the first car.

"Huh? Huh…" The pilot muttered as he lost control.

"Oho! Gigantes seems to be losing speed!"

Gigantes smacked Zombietto as it tried to take advantage of its descending speed to pass ahead of it and sent it flying, to Saito's surprise.

"Ah!"

It crashed into the ground and it exploded.

"How terrible! Gigantes has suddenly gone berserk!"

"Hmpf. Do it." Flash Man ordered.

He kept moving on forward while Gigantes turned to attack the IPC vehicles.

"Saito!" Blues warned.

"Yeah!"

The vehicle missed and only hit the ground.

"Oh! What a feat! "Flash" of Team Shine is currently in top! But the vehicles of Team IPC are performing in a cool manner too!"

"Che. What persistent guys."

The vehicle's console beeped.

"Huh?"

Several error menus showed up.

"What?"

"Flash Man! The two IPC cars are coming!"

"Che. _Machine trouble_!" He shouted.

"What did you say? What'll happen to the championship? This wasn't our deal!"

"There's just one way to avoid defeat." He improvised.

"What?"

"Wreck the race. If you do that then no – one is gonna win. What are you gonna do? Using or not the "Dimensional Chip" is your take." He tempted with obvious amusement.

"Blast it all! I don't intend to lose!"

He slotted in the Chip: Flash Man's vehicle stopped and he materialized so both cars stopped

"Flash Man!"

"Bothersome guy. He wants to wreck the race!"

The IPC truck braked nearby: both Netto and Enzan came out.

"Meijin – san! We need a "Dimensional Area"!"

The "Dimensional Generator" antennas activated and they formed a "Dimensional Area" around the zone: Saiko ran out of his team's truck which was parked nearby.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The two Net Saviors performed "Cross Fusion" and readied themselves for the fight.

"Flash Man! If you beat those guys then we get the championship!" Saiko told him.

"Do you think you can win like that?" "CF" Netto shot back with obvious annoyance.

"Yeah! I'll win! I'm not a human which tolerates even one failure! I'll win and get the prize!"

"Spark Arm!"

The two of them dodged the electrical discharges just in time.

"Neon Light!"

The attack hit them off-guard and they fell to the ground.

"Good! Do it, Flash Man!"

"The final blow! Neon Light!"

Both "Cross Fusion" members dodged the incoming spheres at the last second.

"What?"

"Fumikomizan!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Fumikomi Cross!" "CF" Blues exclaimed.

"UGROA~H!" He roared in agony.

The two attacks sliced the "Asteroid" in three pieces and he was forced to log-out.

"T-that can't be!"

Saiko made a run for his bucks.

"Hold it right there!" Netto yelled as he and Enzan chased him.

However, Saiko jumped inside of the "Flash" cockpit and started it up: he ran off the course and into the unknown.

"Argh! He ran away!"

"Who'd said he'd alter it to be man-driven…!" Enzan grumbled.

"Crap! What is gonna happen to the race, then?"

"Who knows? Cancellation or continuation?" He shot back.

Enzan eyed the two broken cars while the DNN chopper flew by seeing the mess the area was by now.

"Crap! I won't be finished so easily! I won't let them finish me off!"

The car's console beeped: the mysterious woman of the red dress displayed her nose, mouth, neck and upper torso: they had a pearl necklace around their neck.

"Who are you lowlife?" He demanded.

The woman was sitting on a revolving chair and looking at a laptop set atop a desk: a mass of abundant brown hair dropped down behind her body and they were leaning forward.

_Them again! Sunayama's employer! I'm starting to get a hunch of who they are but… _"K. S." gasped.

"… _Le femme fatale… Et les serviteurs…_" The Frenchman seemed to grin all of a sudden.

_They're either hacking my frequency or they have some surveillance system of their own. "The fatal woman… And the servants"… How typical of you to play the educated man._

Evening was setting in and the crowd was whistling in admiration on the closing of the race.

"Due to the multiple accidents the race has been cancelled for precaution! However! The Navis and machines which tackled the course are being exhibited!"

Netto was amongst the people around the cars and waving an arm while Enzan was serious.

"Well. It can't be helped."

"Guess so. I hope we win the championship in the next edition." Enzan calmly replied.

"When that time comes… Then call me again."

"Yeah. If I could I'd set it so that just Saito takes part."

Meiru, Hikawa and Chisao walked towards them: Netto looked nervous as if guessing what they were going to say.

"Hey, hey! Next time I'll model one!"

"Me too!"

"Me too, me too!" Chisao exclaimed.

"Oho! Good! Well then! Let's use each one's next time. Enzan! Next time there'll be 4! Counting on ya!"

Enzan opened his eyes as if reacting.

_No, no. That won't come to happen… _

"Ah! I'd have it with pink and yellow coordination!"

"Well then! I'd have it green!"

"I think blue would do fine as well!" Netto added.

"Chu!"

"You guys… Who do you think I am?" Enzan grumbled.

"Let's hold it again! Wait for the next edition of the "Navi Car Race!"

"… Heh. Hmpf."

The Frenchman stood up and came out, mixing with the crowds: "K. S." followed them outside of the grounds and into a corner near the entrance of the garages: the Frenchman stuffed both hands on their pockets and they remained there: "K. S." stopped just behind them but they suddenly became transparent and they vanished: "K. S." was far from impressed given his face.

_Hmpf. Teasing me. Let's check on that Saiko man. Oh? He got some new clothes already?_

Saiko was wearing a white tunic with reddish edge and a rose drawn on the SE corner of it: the cuffs were purple in color and the buttons on the NW corner were yellow and purple: he wore a shirt and pants colored purple below it, a purple cap and a yellow sphere atop it: he didn't have socks on and used black Oriental-styled shoes.

"I am really thankful of you dully rating my potential… I understand, President Tesla. For the sake of the "Neo WWW"… I shall lend you strength, ma'am. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh."

…"_Neo WWW"…! This is turning bad… Too bad!_


	6. Chapter 6: Calling on Colonel!

**Chapter 6: Calling on Colonel! **

22:22 PM (Utah Time), Sunday July the 19th…

"… Huff, huff…"

A man on his 30s or 40s (sporting a brown-colored ranger uniform and round reading glasses) who had blackish hair and brownish eyes ran across the rocky, fog-filled, and dry terrain while looking panicked.

"Uwah!"

He tripped with a rock and his glasses flew off: he picked them and kept on running but he then heard a rustling noise in front of him.

"Huh!"

He recoiled and saw an image floating in the air of what happened a minute ago: maybe it some kind of 3D image projected into the air with weird edges: the voice was included too.

"Huh…!"

Something with three red spots moved towards him while making a rustling sound.

"UWA~H!" The man exclaimed in pure terror.

_I know what's going on around here… "K. S."! I'm two steps ahead of you lowlife in that aspect: I've predicted what will happen here and I've been keeping an eye here… My games in Paris were but a feint to make you think I'm desperately in need of funds… Hah! Gotcha there._

The "Frenchman" spotted at the "Navi Car Race" was standing at some distance and looking at something with a pair of binoculars: it could be seen that they were wearing jeans and sneakers yet their hat hid most of their face: their hair was blond in color and they had a smug smile drawn across their face.

_Soon enough… My _half-brothers_ will find a new challenge here… Will that brilliant scientific mind be able to unravel this enigma? I'll be looking forward to it, gentlemen… Heh, heh, heh…_

14:57 PM (Japan Time), Monday July the 20th…

_Hum! A test of some sort with Mr. Meijin and _Mademoiselle _Manabe…_

Meijin was driving across a dune-filled terrain covered by a "Dimensional Area" along with Superintendent Manabe: they spotted some Mettools but failed to notice the micro-robot attached behind them.

"We've got company!" Meijin exclaimed.

Superintendent Manabe had a "Battle Chip Gate" on her right hand.

"Let's go. Battle Chip, Aqua Tower. Slot In!"

Some jellyfish Viruses tried to shoot at them but Meijin skillfully dodged.

"Battle Chip, Elec Shock. Slot In!"

Dr. Hikari, Commissioner Kifune and Enzan monitored the event from the Science Labs: this new attack managed to defeat these Viruses: Enzan also had a "Battle Chip Gate" and looked surprised at the skills Manabe was displaying.

"Not bad at all! Handle the next one, Enzan – kun."

"Roger. Padastro, Slot In!"

Meijin dodged the flying Viruses with skill.

"Battle Chip, Boomerang. Slot In!"

"More and more!"

Some weird purple eggs were spread across the terrain: a snake-like Virus came out of one of them and bit one of the car's wheels: Meijin made it stop before it went out of control.

"Battle Chip, Flame Wall! Slot In!"

Three fire walls formed a triangle, thus shielding them from the Viruses: they sighed in relief but one last Virus suddenly jumped towards them: "CF" Netto cut it in half and landed on top of the open jeep's engine, having the Sword Battle Chip drawn.

"Be on your toes, Manabe – san!"

"_Arigatou_, Netto – kun!" Manabe smiled and Meijin sighed in relief.

"O.K.! Experiment: finished." Yuuichirou announced.

"The Net Police didn't have the means to confront substantiated Viruses and "Asteroids" but… Hikari – hakase. Even if you say this is but a pre-eliminatory model "Battle Chip Gate", it works flawlessly! Let's equip them to the staff ASAP." Kifune told Yuuichirou.

"Yes, sir!"

_Ah! So the experiment was to freshen out the "Battle Chip Gates" and make them be usable by anyone: the Net Police are in desperate need of these in case they need to contain the "Asteroids" while a "Net Savior" makes it to the scene._

"Hakase. A transmission from the National Observatory has come in." An assistant reported.

"Patch it to the monitor."

"This is Takei of the Nation Observatory."

"It's been a while, sir!" Yuuichirou politely greeted.

"Hikari – hakase. Could you please travel with me to Ameroupe?" Takei requested of him.

"To Ameroupe, did you say?" Yuuichirou was surprised.

"It is related to Duo, sir." Takei admitted.

Enzan inwardly gasped and looked somewhat surprised.

"Duo…" Yuuichirou muttered.

_Ah! What could it be? It can't be a mere "Asteroid"… What it's about, then? Hum! Suspicious! _

"We can use an IPC plane, sir."

"Thank you, Enzan – kun. Let's go."

19:48 PM (Japan Time)…

_Well, well, well… So! An overseas mission? I'll make a nice change: but I'm still worried that Beast Man, Desert Man and Flash Man are at large and their whereabouts are unknown…_

Freeze Man had snuck into the IPC jet and he looked out into the main cabin as Netto, Dr. Hikari, Enzan, Superintendent Manabe, Meijin, Commissioner Kifune and Takei were onboard one IPC jet which was headed towards Ameroupe.

"A mysterious gigantic explosion was detected in Ameroupe's large dessert plains two months ago." Taikai began.

"An explosion?" Netto asked.

_That sounds bad!_ Saito commented.

"In the nocturnal skies of a ridge… A mysterious object which produced a shining flash appeared… And fell into the surface. The magnitude of the explosion was such that the plains and their grounds became as bright as the day…"

Takei displayed satellite imagery depicting a mass of clouds which was surrounding a crater: they had a clear hole in the middle of them.

"Even by now, two months later… The impact area is releasing an abnormal heat. It is surrounded by hot fog over its center but… By using ultrasonic imagery from the satellite we've been able to confirm the presence of a crater over 5 kilometers in radius…"

IR imagery displayed the shape of the crater and revealed it be abnormally hot.

"5 kilometers?" Enzan asked.

"Could an asteroid have fallen there?" Manabe asked.

"It is a possibility indeed but... If a meteor which caused this huge crater had crashed down then it should have had some effect on Earth's environment." He argued back.

"It's really odd." Yuuichirou admitted.

"To figure out the source… The Amerouppe Government dispatched a research squad to the scene… One of them, Professor Walter, is a fellow astronomer yet… Hikari –hakase."

"Huh?"

"The day when Duo's comet approached Earth…" Takei brought up.

"_It started emitting strange signal about two minutes and forty seconds ago."_

"_A strange signal?"_

"Yes. I remember. There was a T-level EM Waves obstruction." Yuuichirou recalled.

"Please have a look. This is a report by Professor Walter."

Takei handed him some notes in a clipboard: Yuuichirou picked it up with some interest.

"Truth is… Back then… An almost identical signal was picked up within this crater too." Takei exposed.

"I see! What's more: the day in which the explosion happened…" He muttered as if spotting a connection.

Takei nodded to confirm Yuuichirou's trail of thought.

"What is it about, Papa?" Netto asked.

"Two months ago… It was the day when Duo started "Earth Erasure"." He replied.

Both Netto and Enzan gasped in shock as they remembered that almost-tragic day.

_And that was the day when Shuryou's whereabouts became unknown too: is he alright? But no matter what I'll stick to my orders_... _Are we to assume Duo caused that crater? Did he drop his own comet there? That'd explain the magnitude… But… For what? What did he gain like that?_

15:09 PM (Utah Time), Monday July the 20th…

_Hum! A small aerodrome next to Salt Lake City… In Utah! We must be close to the crater._

The jet landed and a man on his late 20s with spiky blond hair and blue eyes stood near to it: he looked like an officer given his white shirt and black pants: he sported a bluish tie and brown shoes.

_That's the welcome committee?_

The man extended his hand to Manabe as she climbed down first: Yuuichirou and Takei climbed down next.

"I am Hunter: Net Police." He introduced himself.

"I am Manabe."

"We'll go to the scene with that jet helicopter. I'll pilot."

"Please do so."

Netto, however, was staring at the sky.

"What's wrong? Netto?" Enzan asked.

Netto did not reply since his gaze was locked on the object only he could see: Duo's comet.

"I see. You can see it: see Duo's comet…"

"… Yeah. Clearly…"

_Huh? Then the comet is still up there? Then WHAT dropped in the middle of Utah's plains? Hum! The detective's here… Let's see to where this will lead us to. _

The group was riding inside of the chopper a while later.

"Odd. The transmissions to the expedition's base camp aren't picked up."

"What did you say?" Takei was panicking.

"Maybe we're out of range but…"

"Where's the base camp at?" Manabe asked.

"They wanted to avoid hot spots so it should be close to the crater's edge…"

"Netto – kun…" Rock Man called out.

Netto picked his PET III.

"What?"

"I think I have motion sickness…" Rock Man looked down and depressed, for once.

"What did you say?" Netto frowned.

"I feel somewhat strange."

"Enzan – sama." Blues called out.

"What's wrong, Blues?"

"I've been feeling the same for a few minutes already…" Blues also looked like it too.

_Odd. I feel some weird sensation too… _Freeze Man was clutching his forehead as if he had fever.

"Could you lend me the PETs?" Yuuichirou requested.

Both boys handed them to him and Yuuichirou pressed some buttons: he frowned when reading some data.

"Oh my. Rock Man and Blues' chronometers have a difference of 2.03 seconds."

"And what's the matter?" Netto didn't seem to think it was important given his face.

"The PET's integrated atomic clock should only have 1 second difference in a million years. 2.03 seconds is abnormal." Enzan replied.

_True. Even if I'm not in a PET the computer of this chopper is feeling this sensation too… Talk about more weird things._

16:07 PM (Utah Time)…

_We've arrived._

The chopper landed in the camp a few minutes later: they could see the fog-filled gigantic crater clearly enough.

"Whoa! Very hot!" Netto muttered once they climbed down from the chopper.

They inspected the buildings but they were empty: Takei eyed a framed photograph in which he could be seen with a group of men: a tall one with glasses on was standing at his left: Superintendent Manabe and Hunter walked in next.

"There's no – one in the huts."

"And the investigation vehicle isn't around either… Maybe they went out to investigate?"

"We'll look at the other buildings."

They walked out through another door.

"Professor. Let's check the investigation's data." Yuuichirou suggested.

"Yes."

They both walked into a server room where one fluorescent was flickering: it was in need of a replacement.

"The fluorescent looks flawed."

"I'll go search another fluorescent."

"Yeah. Please go ahead." Yuuichirou thanked.

"Yes, sir."

Netto had gotten himself a glass of water from a fountain since the place was hot and dry: he eyed the empty mess hall.

"It doesn't look like there's anyone around… Should I check the other rooms?" He wondered aloud.

He didn't see a strange color distortion and a bunch of persons talking in an animated way inside of the mess hall as the door closed behind him: it looked like some 3D replay of something which had happened sometime before.

"Oh!"

Netto turned around and opened the door again: it was empty.

"What… was that? You're not gonna tell me it was ghosts…" He looked somewhat skeptical.

_What! I spread my inner fear to you, otouto?_

_Guess so…_

_Sorry…_

_It's not your fault… _

Enzan, on the other hand, had found a replacement fluorescent: he walked out and opened the door to the living room.

"Huh!"

He was stunned when seeing a replay of when the group had gone split paths: the phenomenon faded into the air.

"What on Earth…?" He muttered aloud.

"… The data has been lost?"

The chief was astounded to see an endless list of "ERROR" messages scrolling down the PC screen.

"That was fast: it's some kind of Virus."

Yuuichirou brought up a screen with a cockroach – like Virus having three red eyes.

"But… How weird! This "Trill" Virus was declared totally eradicated… Ten years ago." He muttered.

Dr. Hikari's cell phone rang.

"It's me."

"Hakase! We've found the exploration team's investigation vehicle…"

The vehicle was turned sideways and smashed: it was lying in the crater's slope.

_What destruction! _

"I can see traces of claws." Enzan spotted.

"So something assaulted it?" Netto guessed.

Hunter walked towards them.

"I've called for reinforcements to locate the expedition team. They should be here in 2 hours' time."

"If only we could find them unharmed…" Takei muttered.

Dr. Hikari came out trough a broken window.

"The damage will soon be fixed. The investigation vehicle can be driven."

He jumped to ground level and signaled the broken interior with his thumb finger.

"But there's one flaw… It can't protect from the extreme heat in its current state. A human would become a grilled insect."

Netto could see a silhouette coming towards them.

"A person! Someone is coming!"

"Where are they?" Takei gasped.

_A survivor?_

The man who had been running away the other night appeared: he had holes on his shirt and his glasses were cracked: he collapsed into the ground and the others rushed to him.

"Professor! Professor Walter!"

"Netto – kun! Bring some water!" Hunter requested.

"Yeah!"

Netto gave him some water from a canteen: Walter grabbed it and drank a lot before he coughed.

"Professor! It's me, Takei, of Japan. What happened, sir? What happened to the other members, sir?"

"A… m… monster…" Walter muttered.

"A monster?"

"It's me…! There is another me!"

Yuuichirou gasped.

"Professor! Please hang in there!"

"UA~H!" He yelled in terror and apparently fainted.

The group carried him into the camp and set him to lie in a room while they gathered on the living room.

"… How is Walter – san like?" Netto asked.

"He was largely dehydrated but if he rests for a bit then he'll be alright."

"However… What could that "another self" which he saw be?" Takei wondered.

"Netto and Enzan – kun experienced it too, right? A bizarre image…"

"Certainly, sir." Enzan affirmed.

"I thought it was a ghost!" Netto complained.

_Anyone would've…_ Saito agreed on it.

_Yes, I saw them too. And I'm concerned about Professor Walter's words even if he was in a shock state… _Freeze Man closed his right hand around his chin.

"Hakase." Manabe called out as if suspecting he had the answer.

"Let's try checking the crater. It'd seem there's some secret to its depths."

"But… Who will drive the exploration vehicle?" Takei asked.

"It's impossible for humans to drive it but let's have Rock Man and Blues drive it instead."

They turned the vehicle into normal position: Netto and Enzan sat inside of the cockpit.

"Let's go, Netto."

"O.K.! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

Both Navis entered the vehicle and sat on the drivers' seats: the vehicle engaged.

_Be careful, niisan._

_Roger, otouto._

"I'm counting on you, Blues." Enzan told him.

"Please leave it to me, sir."

_We're going, otouto._

Enzan and Netto jumped out of the vehicle and it drove into the crater by driving along the slope.

"Let's go back." Enzan told him.

"Yeah."

Everyone was reunited around the computers and hearing to the Navis' reports: Netto and Enzan quickly came in too.

"… Environment temperature: roughly 66 degrees. It's currently increasing." Rock Man reported.

_I guess they're counting on Fahrenheit. That'd be 17 Celsius._

"Be extremely careful."

"Yes, sir. Understood."

The vehicle kept descending across the slope and fog was starting to fill the surroundings.

"Environment temperature: seventy – eight degrees."

_23 Celsius! This is getting hotter! _

Saito looked worried about something.

"Blues… Aren't you feeling something?"

"Yeah… That earlier feeling is getting stronger…"

"… A distortion of the Time-Space?" Enzan asked Yuuichirou.

"As Rock Man said: it's the true identity of the "motion sickness"… Have a look!"

He showed two different clocks, Rock Man's and Blues', going at different speeds: they suddenly jumped forward several seconds and minutes.

_What! How's that possible? _Freeze Man was surprised, for once.

"The base camp and the crater's interior have different time progression speeds."

"True." Hunter grasped.

"I still dunno the source of the explosion but it's causing a distortion on a fragment of the local Time-Space."

"Then… What was the phenomenon which Netto – kun and Enzan – kun witnessed…?" Manabe asked.

"… A "Past Vision"…" Yuuichirou replied.

"A "Past Vision"…?" Netto asked.

"It's a past image displaying something of several seconds or minutes ago… Professor Walter witnessed his past "self" too."

The vehicle was now travelling in a straight line.

"Environment temperature: ninety – one degrees."

_29 Celsius. We're getting closer. But this talk about these "Past Visions" is picking me, really… But who wouldn't?_

"Some kind of signature is originating from the crater's core…"

A graph showed the shape of some radio waves which had a short wave-length followed by flat bursts.

"There's nothing. Nothing peculiar to take notice of…!"

He was cut off as several "CAUTION" screens popped out.

"This frequency! This is the one Duo emitted!" Takei exclaimed.

"Papa!" Netto exclaimed.

"Pull back ASAP! Blues, Rock Man!" Yuuichirou commanded.

"Viruses, sir! Trill Viruses, sir!"

"Trill Viruses!" Yuuichirou was nervous now.

"Niisan!" Netto yelled.

"… Rock Buster!"

"Blues Sword!"

Rock Man and Blues were cutting and deleting Viruses.

"Why are extinct Viruses showing up here…?" Blues wondered.

Rock Man stepped back to stand just in front of him.

"Look, Blues!"

They gasped as even bigger Viruses appeared.

"Niisan! Niisan!" Netto yelled.

A rustling sound could be heard nearby.

"Be quiet! What's this sound…?" Hunter wondered.

A leg broke through the ceiling at the far part of the room and a gigantic Trill Virus landed in.

"A Trill Virus…!" Yuuichirou exclaimed.

Rock Man was trying to shot the big Viruses, but his attacks made no effect: he jumped out of the way as the Virus jumped towards him and landed in the ground before he reunited with Blues.

"No good! If it keeps on…!" He cursed.

"Run to the chopper!"

Hunter carried the unconscious Walter and they began to run out of the camp base: another Virus broke the ceiling before the exit door.

"Was the investigation team killed by these?" Hunter cursed.

"If Rock Man were here then I could do "Cross Fusion"!" Netto cursed.

"Hakase! Request a "Dimensional Area"!" Manabe requested as she took out the Battle Chip Gate.

An alarm beeped inside of the Science Labs so Meijin and Kifune ran towards a console.

"What's the matter?" Kifune asked.

"An emergency "Dimensional Area" request signal…" Meijin announced.

"What did you say?" Kifune gasped.

"Dimensional Area: Engage!"

The combination of energy beams was deflected from Japan to Utah thanks to a special synchronous satellite and the "Dimensional Area" formed around the camp and just in time: a Trill Virus was breaking through the far wall.

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura! Slot In!"

The barrier protected them from the two Viruses.

"Battle Chip, Woody Tower! Slot In!"

A pillar of wood appeared and sent one of the Viruses flying sky-high through the ceiling.

_Well done!_

"Now!"

They ran out only to find a Virus which had landed on top of the chopper and broken it: Blues and Rock Man were not faring well, as evidenced by their panting: Rock Man looked up and saw a strange distortion forming.

"That's…!"

The distortion changed into a circle shape with a yellow-colored rim and white body and it had a hollow rectangle and two small squares engraved within its center: it broke open and a silhouette jumped out of it.

_Who's that? _Freeze Man wondered.

The silhouette started to slash the Viruses with skill and efficiency before he landed in front of them.

"Who…?" Blues asked.

"My name is Colonel." The Navi announced.

"Colonel?" Rock Man asked.

The Net Navi named "Colonel" appealed as being close to two meters tall in height.

His main body had a black suit which ended in a Scottish skirt like piece of armor.

His helmet had a triangle-like form which extended forward and included a small red triangle with golden rims on it: his ear pads had no drawing on them and black hair came out in pointed shape behind the partly open helmet.

The armor had high neck and his face was protected by a red-colored structure: there was a gap between the chest armor and the skirt around the stomach area and the emblem was set at the start of the skirt: a yellowish-colored octahedron with a metallic gray circle was set there on the center: the circle had two small vertical squares colored black on the north and south ends complemented with a small rectangle on the middle. A gray-colored line formed around the upper edge of the skirt and then descended across the middle of it: four pyramid-base-shaped yellowish shapes were drawn on the lower edge of the skirt: two per side.

His shoulder pads which were placed at the sides of his shoulders were colored white and each had a small rectangle cavity on them.

His left wrist had a metallic bracelet which ended in a blade-shaped extension over the hand's palm while his right forearm had a red capsule-like object set on it from which a pale green saber emerged: the opening had four white-colored teeth-like pieces set around it.

The Navi also sported black boots with a thin gray-colored pattern bordering them which started a little below the knee and one small vertical yellowish rectangle slightly above of where the feet fingers ended.

He sported a blue silk cape which fell slightly short of reaching the ground and emerged from beneath his shoulders.

"Rock Man, Blues! Let us fight together!" He rallied.

Colonel moved swiftly and with efficiency while killing the Viruses.

_What strength and speed!_ Freeze Man gasped.

"Incredible!" Rock Man was baffled.

"Let's go!" Blues exclaimed.

The group of people was surrounded by the three Viruses.

"Curses! If only niisan hurried and came back…!"

"Battle Chip, Elec Spark! Slot In!"

The electrical discharge kept the Viruses at bay: the vehicle emerged from the rim of the crater as Colonel finished with the last of them.

"Go! Rock Man! Blues!"

"_Arigatou, _Colonel!"

Both Navis returned to their respective PETs.

_Otouto, I'm back!_

"Enzan – sama!"

"I've been waiting for this!" Netto exclaimed.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

They fused and prepared for battle.

"Battle Chip, Paladin Sword!"

"Battle Chip, Volcano Cannon!"

They obliterated one of the Viruses.

"PROGRAM ADVANCE!"

"Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Flame, Elec, Aqua, Bamboo Sword!"

"GIGA CANNON!"

"ELEMENTAL SWORD!"

They finished with the Viruses and everyone sighed in relief as the "Dimensional Area" powered down.

_Huh? I take my eyes off that "Colonel" and he's gone as mysteriously as he showed up. But it's now clear enough: Duo's the man behind this crater, somehow! What's their goal?_

An old CD player was playing a vintage disc inside of an apartment somewhere.

The elderly man witnessed on the "Earth Erasure" day was sitting inside of the apartment: his PET III's emblem happened to be the same one "Colonel" had: the man was now looking out into the city: Duo's comet was visible in the sky.

"Duo… My battle will be starting from here onwards…"

He let go of the PET and became limp as the CD player stopped playing…

11:11 AM (Utah Time), Tuesday July the 21st…

"… Looks like Papa wants to stay at the scene of the crater to run some researches. Only the two of us will be getting back to Japan in plane ahead of them."

Hunter drove Enzan and Netto back to the airport and Netto was chatting with Enzan.

"But, Netto, that's…"

He was cut off by a volley of shots: they looked at their right and realized that it was a military funeral.

"A military funeral: our nation has parted with one of their heroes."

"Otouto…"

"What?"

"Look at that headstone!"

"Headstone?"

The headstone signaled by Rock Man had Colonel's emblem set there and a black coffin was placed in front of it: several persons and some soldiers were standing next to it: Netto didn't seem to find anything odd on it but Rock Man looked nervous.

"It has the same emblem of the Navi who helped us…!"

"… What did you say? You say you're staying in Ameroupe as well?"

Netto and Enzan were standing in an observation platform overseeing the set of runways a while later when Enzan let out the news.

"Yeah. I heard from Detective Hunter: it'd seem that some "Asteroid" incidents have sprouted in Ameroupe as well." Enzan admitted.

"It's a temporal farewell, Saito." Blues told Rock Man.

"Blues…" Rock Man muttered.

"I leave Japan in your hands, Netto." Enzan told him.

"Yeah. Let's both do our best. Enzan." Netto replied with a smile.

They were about to shake hands when the palm of Enzan's right hand shone all of a sudden: both stopped and he looked surprised.

"Is that shining…? Could it be?" Netto gasped.

"_I shall grant you Duo's Crest."_

"Is this the "Crest" which Duo mentioned?" Enzan wondered.

His "Crest" vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

"What a surprise! You've got the same engraving…" Netto muttered with obvious surprise.

Enzan looked behind Netto.

"I see it!" Enzan suddenly exclaimed.

Netto turned and saw the comet crossing across the skies.

"I'm seeing it, too! I can see Duo's comet…!" He announced.

_What! So Ijuuin Enzan's "Crest" has been dormant but now it's chosen to show up? What is it about? Some data integrated within his body…? This is turning strange. But I'm concerned about how both Duo and Slur have been very quiet ever since the "Navi Car Race"… _

Both failed to see the "Frenchman" looking at them from atop one of the towers using a pair of binoculars: they grinned.

"Hmpf… As I'd thought…" He muttered.

He lowered the binoculars but the shade caused by his cap hid his gaze yet they had a smug smile drawn across their face.

"Heh. And that foolish traitor doesn't realize it… That I can use their same methods too! I'm a field agent, after all. The diversion in Paris can work on its own. Hmpf! I'm too clever for them to realize. Even Freeze Man is blind to the greater picture. Heh… Heh, heh, heh…"

_And soon… Some clowns will keep you busy… Hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!_


	7. Chapter 7: Resurrectionl! Neo WWW!

**Chapter 7: Resurrection! Neo WWW!**

10:32 AM (Japan Time), Saturday July the 25th…

_I did well on checking here: I wouldn't want to miss this…_

"K. S." looked on to his PET III's holographic display which broadcasted a silent courtroom seemingly waiting for the sentence: a hammer echoed.

"The accused parties: in the front..."

Gauss Magnets and Magnet Man stood in the culprit's stand.

"Verdict which applies to the accused parties of Gauss Magnets and, by extension, Magnet Man… Interment into prison for 931 years."

"WHA~T?" Gauss yelled.

"NINE HUNDRED AND THIRTY ONE~?" Both culprits yelled.

Gauss suddenly morphed into that "lady" disguise of his.

"No way! That's cruel: too cruel! Have it cancelled!"

"Huh!" The judge gasped from the surprise.

"No! No! I don't wanna be interned! Forgive me~! Please~! Someone come save me~!"

He was driven out of the court room by two guards (although he didn't really resist) and the judge sighed.

"Unbelievable… The Net Criminals which ravaged the world would end up pleading…" He muttered.

Magnet Man's PET was put in a charger inside of a metallic drawer: he began to yell as they locked the entrance with a vault door.

"Don't joke around! I won't end up like this! If I remain nine hundred and thirty one years' time locked inside of the PET my integral data will break apart! STOP IT! SOMEONE! SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE ME~! CURSE YOU ALL! GET ME OUT! PLEASE GET ME OUT! NO, NO~!"

"I'm the one who… will save you." A woman muttered somewhere.

15:25 PM (Japan Time)…

_Let's see how Mr. Hikari Jr. and company receive the news…_

"… The High Net Court has accepted a strict condemn. The accused Gauss was violently taken away. Even though he did create a large worldwide crisis it'd seem that his limits have been reached by now."

Netto and his friends eyed the TV news about Gauss' sentence while at Higureya.

"THE Gauss has finally been closed in jail…" Netto muttered with a serious look.

"931 years of prison, huh… You'll eventually get your retribution for working for evil, I guess, Netto - kun." Rock Man muttered.

"Yeah… Even a newborn would be 931 years old by the time they quit the prison… That'd be some nice age…"

Saito made an uneasy face.

"Eh, heh, heh… But I think it'd be impossible to reach such an age."

"Like Rock Man says! De masu! You really can't let those affiliated to evil run free!"

"I'd stop liking or hating! Chu!"

"I'd stop letting Netto see the homework too!"

"That can't be! Helping trouble persons is an angel's deed! Don't ignore it, Meiru – chan!" Netto nervously argued.

"Jeez. That's because I felt in a good mood."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" Higure and Chisao chuckled.

_Well. The mood's relaxing a bit._

"Well then… Next in the news… The white-black-skinned panda. The panda normally grows by producing and consuming their bamboo shoots which…"

The screen was suddenly filled with static.

"Huh? What happened to the TV?"

"… What the heck is going on?"

The TV Station was suffering the same trouble.

"EM Waves jacking! Someone is emitting powerful EM Waves!"

"What?"

The phenomena spread into TV screens placed on the street but te image soon returned: everyone found themselves staring at a golden circle which had a lion inside of it which had a golden banner set underneath it having the red letters "NEO WWW" written there: the lion roared, thus scaring the skin out of Netto.

_What's that, some mockery of the MGM seal? _"K. S." wasn't impressed in the least.

"A~h! W-what the…?"

The mysterious woman who had met with Sunayama and recruited Saiko showed up there: this time their full face was visible and now it could be seen that they looked on their late 20s or 30s: their eyes' irises were green in color.

They were sitting on some large straw armchair.

_Them! I knew they wouldn't stay quiet for too long!_

"Excellencies around the world. I apologize for interrupting your entertainment."

She flung some of her hair backwards.

"I am the new president of the Gauss Console: Tesla. Tesla Magnets."

"Gauss Console…" Netto muttered.

"The "Gauss Console"…? It couldn't be!" Chisao grasped.

_This is bad, otouto!_

"Looks like you've got it. Correct! I happen to be Gauss Magnet's daughter!"

"What did she say?" Netto exclaimed.

Haruka was looking at the TV too while enjoying some tea and she looked puzzled.

"… Today I'm borrowing this program because there's something I want to tell everyone about."

"Huh?" Haruka wondered.

"By continuing the will of my father Gauss… I announce the establishment of the "Neo WWW" starting today and here!"

"…The "Neo WWW"?" Saito gasped.

_What! Ah! Are they behind Sunayama's robberies and the disappearance of Saiko? _Freeze Man silently listened in.

"… The Net Crime Organization which the great Dr. Wily set up has been resurrected."

_Don't kid me! Gospel was going to rise again soon too! _Freeze Man grumbled under his breath.

"You'll be better off by taking conscience of that."

"The WWW has resurrected…" Netto muttered.

"It's become troublesome! De masu!"

"True, true! I forgot to say something important."

_What now, you copycat._ Freeze Man grumbled.

"Tonight I'll go and retrieve a very important person to me."

_Oh yes? I'd like to see you trying._

"And I'll definitely get my hands on what I desire. Make sure to be on the look-out. Well then. New fear and confusion will spread across the world…"

The image was replaced by static before it was cut off.

"_Hai_~! OK! Well done, President Tesla!"

Sunayama and Saiko were standing at some distance from the armchair in which Tesla was sitting in, illuminated by a spotlight aiming downwards: Saiko held a scroll with some drawings there.

"Splendid, ma'am. The type of posing, the emphasis on the speech and the professional-like facial gestures…" Saiko smiled.

"Heh, heh, heh. I've become stronger with this production."

"… Spread new fear and confusion across the world?" A voice asked from close by.

_Hum! I knew it: they're here too. _"K. S." grumbled as he sat inside of his car and looked at the spy feed.

"Those aren't bad mottoes either."

Inukai Takeo came out of the unlit section of the room.

"So? Inukai. What's your reply?"

"Both Saiko and I have been scouted by President Tesla and become "Neo WWW" members, you see."

"The only one who would rate our strength was Ms. President. And there isn't any strength which can rival to that apart from that of the "Neo WWW"…" Saiko calmly exposed.

"… Huh… The reply's… _yes_! Inukai Takeo will gladly become a buddy of yours! _Boss_!"

"Heh, heh."

"Good! It's already settled so let's end the formalities. Let's move on the rescue of Boss' important person! I'll do it alone."

"I'd entrust you, but… Hikari Netto and Rock Man will come out."

"Wha~t?" He grumbled and a vein popped out.

"… Netto – kun: it's an emergency state!"

"Manabe – san!"

Superintendent Manabe contacted Netto.

"I've seen the TV as well!"

"That was fast. I'd like of you to reinforce the vigilance of the Net Prison!"

"Roger!"

"Do your best, Netto!" Meiru encouraged.

"We can't let a WWW ghost do as they like! De masu!"

"Teach them a lesson! Chu!"

"Yeah! I'm going!"

_Hum! So their HQ is this gigantic skyscraper with that spheroid construct atop the main building…_

"… Hikari Netto's a "Net Savior"? They're a dog of the Net Police?"

Tesla had apparently let the fact out to Inukai in the meanwhile.

"I wonder if by you going alone we'd win."

"B-but then I could materialize Beast Man and strike the prison from the real world…"

"Rock Man can do "Cross Fusion" too." Tesla reminded him.

_Trying to keep him in a tight leash and forcing him to go by your plan, eh, Magnets? _

"Huh! I s-see…" He muttered.

"This is a risky move: the first crime of the "Neo WWW". Failures won't be tolerated." Sunayama warned.

"Ms. President has already come up with a strategy."

"I'm the one who'll win the game. Heh, heh."

17:41 PM (Japan Time)…

_So! There you are: ready to tackle whichever of them dares to come into the picture… You haven't changed in these few months ever since our last meeting… _

The "Frenchman" was looking through binoculars how Netto was standing inside of the control tower which supervised the security system for the prison along with Superintendent Manabe and Commissioner Kifune: they formed a grin as Netto could be seen looking at the system.

_What a powerful security system._

_It's obvious, otouto._

"… The "important person" which Tesla spoke of has to be her father, Gauss. We'll never allow such criminals to fulfill their petty goals while the Net Police intends to halt them."

Netto eyed the live feed from the CCTV cameras and spotted a building.

"What's that building?"

"Oh? That? That's the Navi Prison." Manabe replied.

"The Navi Prison?"

"… The Navis who've committed crimes are enclosed along with their PETs."

"Hum…"

A single bird circled around the perimeter and Gauss eyed it from his cell: he still was wearing lipstick on half of his face and part of his disguise.

"The bird is chirping…"

He imagined talking to another self.

"It can freely fly into the skies…"

"Ah…"

"I wanna become a bird…"

Netto had eyed this from one CCTV camera feed and he looked somewhat perplexed.

"Eh, heh, heh… They don't change: that old guy's humor is pretty lame."

"The local security system is supervised and administered from this main computer. The enemy is a Net-crime organization. It's highly probable that they will strike from the Cyber World." Manabe explained.

"That's where we come in. Leave it to us! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

_The firewall and the guard Navis… The guard is perfect._

_Niisan!_

_Huh?_

_We don't know what tricks they'll pull on us. Be on your toes!_

_I get you, otouto… Enzan and Blues are not here… Netto – kun and I will protect Japan's Cyber World!_

Night quickly arrived and the guard was relentless: Commissioner Kifune heard a metallic sound while standing in front of the Navi Prison.

"Hmmm?"

A spotlight showed a cat toying with an empty can.

"Heh, heh. A cat?" He smiled.

He didn't see that its eyes glew yellow and blue when unlit: the alarms blared as the clouds hid the moon: Kifune and the others looked around as all lights came on.

"Illegal access triggered: an intruder!"

"They've come!" Netto exclaimed.

The lights turned on as well inside of the Cyber World: there was an explosion sound and Rock Man looked on and gasped when seeing a silhouette amongst the smoke.

"Oh!"

"There's one which has slipped in from the front?" Netto wondered.

"What guts… No… What recklessness!" Manabe muttered.

The silhouette walked on forward.

"Ah!"

Beast Man came out.

"Beast Man!"

"Rock Man! Rather fitting!"

"Why are you here…? Ah! It couldn't be!"

"Like you've guessed, Rock Man…"

Inukai Takeo's screen popped out.

_There they come again. Is this going to be a repeat of the "Darkloid" Beast Man's obsession with beating Rock Man? _Freeze Man fumed.

"I and Beast Man have entered the "Neo WWW", ya see."

"Inukai Takeo!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"I wouldn't have thought I'd meet you lowlife here of all places… Beast Man! Return the earlier humiliation 931 times!"

"Gwro~h!" He roared.

The guard Navis tried to shoot him but failed.

"I've got no business with you pieces of rubbish! Beast Ray!"

Beast Man moved around quickly and hit various Navis: Rock Man shot Beast Man's body and caught him off-guard.

"… Please leave Beast Man up to me! You guys protect the main computer!" Rock Man told them.

Smoke surrounded Beast Man.

"Brag, Rock Man! Come to this… I'll engrave a painful sensation in you!"

He suddenly dashed in front of him and moved his claws very quickly: Rock Man dodged and smiled.

"An opening!" Rock Man exclaimed.

He jumped and shot at his feet surprising him for a moment.

"Rock Man! Don't let Beast Man cool down from his revenge mood! This'll be easy!" Netto encouraged.

"I wonder 'bout that…" Beast Man muttered.

Inukai was standing beside a van parked some meters away from the prison complex and near a high voltage tower and eating a banana.

"That's good… Just like that, Beast Man! Just play around with that care-free Rock Man…"

"Plug In! Desert Man, Transmission!"

"… Battle Chip, Wide Blade! Slot In!"

Rock Man tried to attack but his opponent blocked with his claws: Commissioner Kifune and others gasped when seeing some strange blue light forming outside the prison's walls.

"Oh! What's that?"

Desert Man materialized.

"Shoot him!"

Netto saw this from the control center.

"I-isn't that Desert Man?" He gasped.

"A substantiated "Asteroid" has appeared outside!" Manabe exclaimed with angst.

The "Asteroid" ignored the bullets which had no effect on it: Kifune was sweating and looked nervous while Desert Man lifted his right hand: Sunayama was standing on it.

"Like such pathetic attacks would harm Desert Man! Battle Chip, Sand Ants! Slot In!"

Sand-ant-pits appeared and began to suck in one police car: Manabe grasped what was going.

"Curses! This is a diversion strategy!"

"A diversion strategy...?"

"By fighting Beast Man they keep Rock Man occupied! And while they're at it they're gonna rescue Gauss from the real world! In short: this is a trap!"

"If you figured that by now then you're slow to catch on! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Sunayama exclaimed before he began to laugh.

"… A trap, you say?" Rock Man had heard the earlier conversation.

"Take opening, you lowlife!"

Beast Man hit him with one claw.

"I said it! I said that I'd definitely get what I desire. But you guys don't know it… That I don't really desire anything… Heh, heh, heh. That's because…" Tesla muttered in the meanwhile.

"… He came!" Inukai smiled.

"… Lion Head!"

Desert Man shot one of his infamous lion heads: the attack, however, was blocked by an electrical field on the walls.

"Useless! There's no breaking this wall!" Kifune smiled.

"Hmpf. Well then…" Sunayama smiled.

Desert Man simply sunk in the ground and dived under the walls.

"Ah! Desert Man has intruded!" One officer yelled.

"Huh? Curses! He crossed the perimeter!" Kifune realized.

Some guns were engaged and tried to shoot Desert Man but he was unfazed.

"Useless! It won't affect them!" Netto cursed.

Rock Man was lying with his face on the ground on the 3D screen.

"Desert Man: do it!" Sunayama ordered.

Rock Man managed to stand up.

"Netto – kun! "Cross Fusion"! We must stop Desert Man…!"

"Jumping Claw!"

He dodged at the last second.

"Won't let ya go! I'm your opponent, Rock Man, you lowlife!"

Beast Man moved his claw quickly and hit Rock Man several times.

"Rock Man!" Netto exclaimed.

_Che. I'm fed up. Eat diamonds, you savage._

Freeze Man formed those diamonds which dove into Beast Man's body from behind and his overall speed dropped but none of the two combatants seemed to have realized that.

_What's going out there?_

Desert Man kept on advancing: the scandal of the fight was heard by Gauss inside of his cell.

"There's a scandal out there."

Desert Man broke the wall at that moment.

"We've come to meet you, _Father_." Sunayama announced.

The surprise from it made Gauss loose his "alter ego" even.

"Wild Rush!"

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura!"

The shield protected Rock Man.

"Heh, heh, heh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! You can't handle it! Realize your own stupidity by seeing how ya stepped into a trap! Suffer by that brought-upon shame!"

"…. Che! I'll teach you about being stupid or not! Direct Chip System: Activate! Battle Chip, Mega Energy Bomb! Slot In!" Manabe shot back.

"Gruwra~h!"

Manabe used the "Direct Chip System" and since Beast Man wasn't expecting that the explosions kicked him away.

"_Nice_! Manabe – san!"

"Netto – kun! Use this chance to defeat Desert Man and retrieve Gauss!"

"Yeah! Rock Man: Plug Out!"

"Curses! Then I'll…!" Beast Man hissed.

"Won't let you go! You're the one who'll be suffering a humiliation this time around! Battle Chip, Totem! Slot In!"

The totems appeared and bathed Beast Man in fire: Sunayama and Gauss appeared outside of the walls.

"Heh, heh, heh… The escape is a success too." Sunayama grinned.

"… Please, Meijin – san!"

"I'll excuse the "san" given how it's an emergency state! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

A "Dimensional Area" formed around the area in which the three criminals were at.

"A "Dimensional Area"! It couldn't be…!" Sunayama growled.

"You're not escaping!"

Sunayama turned and spotted Netto quite close by, at the start of the small hill where he was at.

"Synchro Chip, Slot in! CROSS FUSION!"

"Huh! Rock Man has come to take me back!" Gauss muttered.

"Why'd ya come 'ere?"

"You guys' petty "diversion strategy" didn't work! I'll smash you guys' ambitions!"

"Huh! Why, you…! Go for it, Desert Man! Go and beat Rock Man to a pulp!"

"Heavy Sand!"

"Battle Chip, Magma Cannon!"

The fire blast pushed the sand block backwards and upwards before destroying it.

"Battle Chip, Iai Form!"

"Lion Head!"

"CF" Netto cut it and jumped towards Desert Man.

"Now! Saiko! Go for it!" Tesla commanded.

"Plug In! Flash Man, Transmission!"

Saiko plugged him in into a control panel and the message "OPEN'" was displayed: he eyed the 3D display and rummaged on his right pocket.

_What! Flash Man! I was forgetting them! Then Desert Man is ANOTHER DISTRACTION? Flash Man's the real attack? Do they want Magnet Man back instead? _Freeze Man gasped.

"Dimensional Chip, Slot In!"

"Spark Arm!"

Flash Man blew open the door of the Navi Prison and this was seen from the control center.

"A new "Asteroid" has substantiated and is breaking into the Navi Prison!"

"The Navi Prison, you say?" Manabe was surprised.

The sword slash immobilized Desert Man and left a deep diagonal cut on his face.

"Ah! Desert Man!" Sunayama gasped.

"The final blow! Battle Chip, Custom Sword, Prism!"

The sonic boom was turned into multiple beams by the prism: one barely missed Gauss and Sunayama and broke through a fence while two of them landed behind "CF" Netto, who was unfazed: more of them pierced through Desert Man's body: he was forced to "Log – Out" and the "Dimensional Area" faded so Netto reverted out of his "Cross Fusion" to pick his PET III back.

"No! No! No!"

Gauss was on his knees while covering his ears and closing his eyes.

"Che." Sunayama cursed.

Netto heard a vehicle approaching and the van parked: Inukai was the driver.

"Inukai!"

"Heh."

"Hey!"

"Kept cha waitin'!"

"Hmpf!"

The van ignited thus leaving Gauss behind.

"H-hey! H-h-hold on a min!" He called out.

"Hold it right there!"

Netto ran towards him but the van was already out of reach.

"The deal got backfired again…" He muttered.

"… Well! The Neo WWW's ambition wasn't that much of a fuss and they ended up realizing it, guess!"

"I do wonder about that." A feminine voice spoke.

Netto looked at his PET and saw Tesla's face being displayed over it: she seemed to be sporting a helmet.

"Wha! Tesla!"

"Hikari Netto! Would you be as kind as to look behind you?"

"Ah! The Net Prison is being…!"

"… You hadn't gotten it yet…? What I wished wasn't Father but Magnet Man. Magnet Man happens to be there." She announced.

"What did you say?"

"E~H?" Gauss was stunned and his mouth was open wide.

Flash Man eyed the vault door.

"… Magnet Man knows the codes of the banks accounts where Father's large fortune is resting at… That was my goal."

"Netto – kun! This was… A double-edged "distraction strategy"…!"

_Did you realize, Hikari Saito? Maybe you've got some of Watson in you, even. Heh. But that woman didn't do it badly either: I could've come up with that too and "IQ – sama" would've too… Ah! If only they could see it: they would rejoice to see a powerful Mistress ruling over those fools and inferior men while openly challenging the Net Police! Heh! _The "Frenchman" grinned as he looked on through his binoculars.

"Correct! Both the Net Police and you have acted according to my calculations! Oh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" She giggled.

Netto tried to run towards the place.

"Too late!" Tesla proclaimed.

"… Spark Arm!"

Flash Man easily melted a hole on the vault door and then ripped the drawer's door open next: he Magnet Man's PET.

"I've come to rescue you, Magnet Man."

"Ah! Thank you so much! Bring me along!"

He transferred Magnet Man's data to himself.

"The data has been retrieved. Heh, heh, heh…"

He retreated and the PET II hit the ground, empty, while Beast Man finished dealing with the totems.

"Gotta go too…"

"Game's over. What kind of behavior do you have, Hikari Netto?"

"Where…! Where are you at, Tesla?" Netto demanded while making a grimace.

"Over here!"

An old WWI plane appeared over the hill having a rope stair attached to it: Netto shielded himself from the sudden gust with his arms and heard Gauss yelping.

"Whoa~!"

He eyed how Gauss was holding on the rope stair.

"SCARY~!"

"Whoa!" Netto exclaimed.

"You even helped me retrieve Father! Stay healthy~! Oh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Oh, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

Netto clenched a fist and didn't bother to conceal his rising anger.

"CONFOUND IT ALL!" He exploded.

_Hmpf! That's it, yeah! Learn the taste of defeat and powerlessness, Hikari Netto! Eventually… You'll be trapped in a living _Naraku_… Heh, heh, heh!_

06:19 AM (Japan Time), Sunday July the 26th…

"… Thanks, Magnet Man. Thanks to you I've obtained the necessary budget to finance the organization's future activities."

"I am glad to be able to return the favor of rescuing me."

"You'll be my Net Navi from today onwards."

"Yes, ma'am. Gladly."

"The "Double Diversion Strategy" went off splendidly." Saiko smiled.

"Yeah! No big deal! Ms. President beats 'em!"

"… "Neo WWW"… It's become interesting." Inukai grinned.

Gauss, dressed with a white apron and cap, used the vacuum cleaner.

"Father!"

"Y-yeah?"

"I'll be straight honest. There's still dust left in the room's corners!"

"S-sorry, Tesla. I'll be careful from now on. Ah… You're the benefactor who freed me. I'll take care of any cooking, cleansing or any general housework you tell me to."

"Glory to the great "Neo WWW"…!" She grinned.

"… We won the _battle_ but in the end we suffered complete defeat."

Manabe, Kifune and Netto were looking at the compound.

"The "Neo WWW"…! What vile fiends!" Kifune cursed.

"Netto – kun."

"Huh? Don't worry! Niisan. I'm alright! I have no time to get pissed off!"

"Yup!"

"Tesla…! I'll defeat you for sure when we meet again…!"

_Hmpf… That's to be seen, Hikari Netto… Struggle! In vain! Heh, heh, heh!_


	8. Chapter 8: Icy invention, de kofu?

**Chapter 8: Icy invention… De kofu?**

16:19 PM (Utah Time), Wednesday August the 12th…

_Well, well, well… I decided to keep an eye on Blues to see how's he's progressed insofar… Shuryou will want information on all "Net Saviors" anyway so…_

Blues and Thunder Man (sporting partial disguises both: Thunder Man used his hood and shades as "Masked Thunder" and Blues also sported a similar cloth) were standing in a Cyber World stadium somewhere and facing each other: they couldn't spot Freeze Man's invisible diamond monitoring them.

_Let's be on the scene instead of just watching through sensors._

"Guess you're ready." Thunder Man told him.

"Guess you're ready too." Blues replied.

"Good! Showdown!"

Both of them formed microphones on their right forearms and yelled into them.

"That trolling guy!"

"Knows no halting!"

Blues got a score of 110 points while Thunder Man got a score of 100 points instead.

"And… The winner of the chanting contest has been settled! Masked Net wins!"

The public chorused the contestants (Raoul and Enzan on their Afro-like disguises): Enzan waved to the public but his wig slid a bit out of place which he barely fixed on time: the "Frenchman" looked on too.

_Heh, heh, heh… That excellent pair of hounds' entrance into the stage is amusing enough… Have fun! Go ahead, have fun… If you only you knew what's happened around Japan as of late… Heh, heh, heh._

16:33 PM (Utah Time)…

"… Huff."

Enzan and Raoul got back from their excursion and took out the wigs and sunglasses, which they deposited atop the desks.

_Well. Things have been busy ever since the "Neo WWW" inauguration! We had that Narcy Hide man and "Asteroid" Video Man… Rock Man won by forming "Gyro Soul"… And then Sunayama recruited into the "Neo WWW" bringing the total of "Asteroids" to 4. _Freeze Man recalled.

"A total waste…" Raoul muttered.

_The next incident was Inukai Takeo and Beast Man making cars behave like animals: they formed a dirty ambush of 4 VS 1 but "Colonel" came out of a mysterious tunnel, shielded all attacks, formed some soldiers, and defeated the 3 "Asteroids" on his own without sweating before Rock Man finished off Beast Man… "Colonel" made it clear he's on Rock Man's side before vanishing as mysteriously as he'd come…_

"Jawaii's Navi Hula Dance Contest… Choina's Athelete Contest… The Fashion Show of Cream Land… Huge amounts of Navis are disappearing from around the world…"

_Let's focus later on that. Hum… After that incident we had Rock Man going to Jawaii and meeting the ex-WWW members… A Net Navi named Tomahawk Man and their Operator, Dingo, were involved as they had to help counter some ridiculous plan hatched by Yamashita Hidenosuke._

"What about the access records?" Enzan asked.

_Following Tomahawk Man's debut… A young girl from Choina named Jasmine and their nurse Navi Meddy were involved in some hunt for a rare species of plant… Rock Man had to fight some Viruses with his "Soul Unisons" and the Net Police caught some criminals…_

"If a lot of Navis vanished there should be a huge amount of data in their place but… But, this time around, no access records remained."

"It's almost like they were spirited away."

"_Oh. My God_…" Raoul let out.

He took out his PET III with its attached grip and held it by the SE end to spin it around.

_More recently… Bubble Man showed up of nowhere and it'd seem he'd had the brains to figure out the "Asteroids" were not his older pals. He started some chasing game across the Cyber World involving the "Neo WWW" and the "Net Saviors" to find some data apparently related to Shade Man but it didn't seem to be anything important in the end… _

Thunder Man entered a system and a multitude of water-type Viruses appeared there.

"Thunderbolt!"

The Viruses were deleted and Raoul smiled.

"Hmpf!"

"Experiment: start!"

"Ho!"

More Viruses appeared so Raoul took out the grip and attached it to the PET III's base.

"Elec Grip, Probe!"

Some graphics displaying increasing energy levels popped out.

"Elec Beam!"

The attack hit the center of the Virus group and spread thus deleting them.

"Hmpf. How was that like?" He asked Hunter and Enzan.

"It was the same technique yet its attacking power went up to such levels…!" Hunter was amazed.

"The Elec Grip is a "Custom Part" developed by IPC to increase the parameters of electric-attribute Navis."

"So it fits with Thunder Man, then!"

_Interesting! Accessories to increase a Net Navi's parameters and make them more powerful in battle… This could be useful to fight new "Asteroids" too!_

"Yeah! Those were strong tests!"

"You're making me happy. Next time we'll use it on the field! I'll fry the culprit of the Navi kidnappings!"

"Let's go back to work." Enzan suggested.

"Given how we don't have the criminal motive… Guess we'll have to sneak in places where Navis gather at…"

"Sadly enough, that's all we can do… Oh! True!"

Various Navis were testing their skills in a Cyber World somewhere before a snow-storm appeared: a silhouette could be seen inside of it.

"Hyu~h!"

The Navis were nowhere to be seen when it cleared and Rock Man entered the system and was surprised to find it empty.

"Everyone's gone…" He muttered.

Netto was walking around a Game Center somewhere.

"Can you find any clues?" He asked Rock Man.

"As of now… And, anyway… It's cold!"

Rock Man looked around while crossing his arms to shield himself from the cold before he spotted something on front of his feet: it looked like some small paper rectangles piled together and resembled similar objects left behind at the crime scenes.

"What could this be?"

The PET beeped and Netto replied to the call: it was Enzan.

"Enzan! It's been a while!"

"Yeah." He admitted.

"Are you doing fine? Why don't you take a break?"

"Chit-chat comes later."

"Che. Even while re-meeting you won't stop being so cold… It's not like I'm playing around or anything. I'm always getting a lot of job to tackle as a "Net Savior", ya know!"

_Indeed, Mr. Hikari Jr… _

"K. S." was standing not too far from there and looking on.

"What about the massive Navi disappearance case?" Enzan went straight to the point.

"You're involved too, Enzan?" Netto asked.

"Yeah. I thought of calling you to check if you had any info." Enzan admitted.

"What a pity. I don't have any clues either." Netto replied.

"I see. We'll contact each other if something pops out." Enzan calmly replied as if he'd been expecting that answer.

"Roger."

The call ended in a sudden manner.

"Huh? Enzan? Che. What an impatient guy." Netto fumed at Enzan's behavior.

_Netto – kun! Otouto!_

_Hmmm? What's wrong? Saito – niisan?_

_Huh… I wonder what this is…_

He held the paper pieces between his fingers and looked at them as if they were an important clue.

_Let devil bite me if I haven't realize the type of "Asteroid" behind this mess by now… They've taken a while to show up again after Video Man did but they've finally done it…_

12:28 PM (Japan Time), Thursday August the 13th…

"… What's this…?"

Netto had brought the evidence to Meijin and he'd been studying it with the computer for a while already.

"Seems to be compressed data…"

"Compressed data?"

"It's a method of reducing the size of big data."

He brought out a paper board and two paper figurines to represent both of them: a string of characters which read "AAAAABCADA" had been written there.

"If we leave it like that it's 11 symbols."

"11 symbols, then!"

"But! If we do it like this then…"

Meijin wrote the following message "A X 8 BCD" and smiled.

"… They become six letters."

"Cool! You made it shorter than it was before!"

"This is compression. If you do that you can reduce the data amount."

"This is compression, then! I get it, Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai_!" The figure put on a speedy voice and jumped up and down.

"Heh, heh, heh! I get it. That's why it sounded so foreign."

_Feels somewhat unpleasant… _

"But… Why would a criminal do that…? Hey! If we uncompress the Navis then we could get some hints on the incidents!" Netto suddenly realized after playing with the figurine.

_Good thinking._

"I'd be good if we could but…" Meijin muttered.

"Huh?"

"When it comes to data compression… You must tackle the run-length encoding and the Huffman encoding… There are several complexities to it… If we don't know the compression system then we can't uncompress them." Meijin exposed.

"I see… That's how it is…" He sighed.

"Netto – kun! For example: the same image data medium engraved in videos or DVDs is different from one support to the other!" Rock Man told Netto.

"I see! Then?"

_Ah! You mean to say that the encoding system might be something familiar and there's a way to uncompress it? Mr. Rock Man? _"K. S." grinned and looked amused.

"It's a pity, but… It's the first time I've set my eyes on such a compression method." Meijin admitted with a sigh.

"Huh?"

"And thus the decompression method is unknown. If we try to force the data's decompression, it… The Navis… will be destroyed." Meijin warned Netto.

"Oh!" Netto gasped.

"We'll analyze this compressed data! Netto – kun and Rock Man: you two head out to continue the investigation!" Meijin announced before issuing his commands.

"Yes, sir!" Both confirmed.

_Good… _

"We'll be going! Meijin – san!"

"_San wa… IRANAI_!"

20:22 PM (Utah Time), Wednesday August the 12th…

_I've traced the "Asteroid" all the way here so let's have a look around from the monitor's insides… Heh, heh, heh…_

Freeze Man looked into the insides of a small run-down apartment where there was a man on his 50s who had a blonde beard and moustache on his face.

He wore a thick light brown fur coat, a dull brown winter cap and skiing goggles over the forehead: they also had a reddish wool jumper and brown pants along with boots.

_What's this clothing in August? This ain't Antarctica._

The man was typing into the computer: a progress bar reached its end and the word "completed" appeared on-screen.

"Hooray! The Ivan Compression Method Formula has now been perfected!" He exclaimed as he stood up.

The "Asteroid" Cold Man was looking on from the PET III.

_I knew it. Cold Man: the dwarf imbecile who thinks can rival me when it comes to ice… Don't make me laugh: I and ONLY I can be called THE supreme ice-using Net Navi! _He inwardly grumbled.

"Hyu~h!"

_De kofu?_

_He remembered walking down a street one night while being half-drunk. _

"_A~h… I've suddenly lost my job at the company… Hic! Those company idiots! A~h…" _

_He'd thrown an empty can on the ground and it had started to freeze and so did part of the side alley he'd been walking on. _

"_Kyofu? Shofu…"_

_He'd ignored it and had walked away: he'd then returned to his apartment and resumed working with the computer._

"_Why won't those guys and the ambulance scandal shut up? Shofu?"_

_He'd typed on the computer: his PET had been displaying two graphs which were descending: he'd been testing a compression technique consisting on freezing files and a Navi had been doing the job. _

"_Ivan's Compression Method Formula! It's taken a lot of money but by freezing the contents you can handily handle them! It's the new-gen compression method! Kofu!"_

_The graphs had kept on descending and he'd looked on with eagerness and excitement._

"_Do your best! Another little bit! Kofu!"_

"_I'm tired…"_

_The Navi had stopped freezing and the folders sprouted out tons of files which flooded over the Navi: Ivan had sighed in defeat. _

"_If I could've reduced the temperature another little bit then the experiment would've been a success! Kofu! But even so…"_

_The lights had suddenly turned off._

"_Cho? Cho? Chofu?"_

_A computer screen nearby had turned on and Slur had appeared on it: her face was the same amused face she always had on and the background kept on being the same. _

"_Show me your thoughts."_

"_Who…? Kofu?"_

"_I am Slur. I will grant Duo's power to you."_

"_Duo? An sponsor, kofu? He'll help me in my researches?"_

_Slur had simply nodded with her head and his Navi had been transformed into the "Asteroid" Cold Man. _

"_Who…? Chofu?"_

"_Cold Man. He will gladly provide the funds you need." She had announced with a smile._

"_Will you really assist me on my research, kofu?" Ivan had asked of Cold Man as he'd picked the PET III up._

"_Hyoi~!"_

"_Hooray! Sho!"_

Returning to present time, Ivan smiled.

"Cold Man! Thank you, sho…"

"Hyui~h!"

"Almost like that cliché about passengers vanishing from a passenger ships when sailing across large storms… If I hadn't met you then I'd been forced to end a 30 year-long research. But now that I've met you… I've become good… No! Supreme!" He exclaimed.

"By now the only thing's left to do is to wait for a potential underground buyer!" Cold Man replied.

"That's it! Kofu!"

"Ivan! A large fortune is right in front of you! Hyu~h!"

_Shofu?_

"What's wrong, hyu~h?" Cold Man asked.

"You don't need any money, Ivan…" He muttered.

"Huh?" Cold Man sounded puzzled.

"Ah, eh… No! It's nothing! Kofu!"

"Huh?"

_Shofu…_

_So that's how it was. All that's left is for Blues and Thunder Man to get rid of this idiot. Your doom is at hand… _

16:45 PM (Utah Time), Thursday August the 13th…

"… Compress Navis?"

"Hum…"

Netto had contacted Enzan: he was scratching part of his hair with one finger and looked a bit gloomy.

"So! It's some kind of compression which doesn't leave a record behind, then!"

Netto suddenly put his hands in front of the mouth while trying to suppress laughter.

"That's some technology." Raoul muttered.

"Meijin – san looks like he's busy with the compression analysis so if something happens I'll contact you again…" Netto managed to make his words be decipherable.

"I get it." Enzan replied.

"_Thank you, _Hikari Netto." Raoul added.

Netto burst into laughter and pointed a finger at Enzan: Meijin popped out from the right, being seemingly intrigued.

"Bwah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Huh?"

"You two… You look SO alike! See!"

Both Enzan and Raoul were wearing their _disco_ disguises and were seemingly about to go into another sortie.

"Oh." Both muttered.

"Enzan – sama, sir… A mail, sir. There's no sender name or subject name and the contents are the words "Disco Volcano: A Hot Magma Dance of Death." …" Blues reported all of a sudden.

"What the heck is that? I've never heard of that." Raoul wondered.

17:38 PM (Utah Time)…

"… Huff."

Both returned to the HQ with their hands empty.

"Ah… It was in vain again…" Raoul sighed.

They spotted Dr. Hikari closing an attaché case inside of a room as they walked down a corridor a while later once they'd changed back.

"Well done." He told them.

"Hakase!" Enzan greeted.

"I'm about to return to Japan."

"Ah! Then… What happened to the study of the Trill Viruses?"

"Yeah. It'd seem that the Viruses crossed over a "Past Tunnel" and came from a past world…"

"A past world…?" Enzan wondered.

_So they skipped forward in time? Talk about bizarre. The "Time Machine" has come true? _Freeze Man wondered.

"No need to worry: we've eliminated the Viruses in the meanwhile."

"Is that so?"

"How are you doing like? Is the massive Navi disappearance case progressing?"

"We've figured out the mechanism behind the incident yet…"

"The culprit is not coming out of their nest." Raoul sighed.

"I see…"

Dr. Hikari brought a hand to his chin.

"Then… Why don't you make them come out the nest?"

"Huh?"

"If they won't stick out… Taunt them into sticking out…"

"Sticking out…?" Raoul wondered.

"I see! The culprit wants to demonstrate their own compression technology to a potential buyer! So if we stage a trap… Then we can make them stick out!" Enzan realized.

"O~h! So that's how it is!" Raoul smiled.

"Thanks a lot, Hikari – hakase!"

"… WHAT THE HECK, KOFU?"

Ivan was seeing the TV where two strange fellows were talking over it.

"The revolutionary compression method we've developed is _very incredible_!" The short guy exclaimed.

"True! You'll be able to compress a million pieces of data into just one if you use this!" The taller one continued.

"You liars!" He grumbled.

"There are no lies!" One of the two fellows replied as if he was hearing him.

He was getting mad: a twitch had appeared near his right eye.

"There's no stuff which can surpass my Ivan's Compression Method Formula rate of fifty thousand pieces to one!" He yelled.

"There is! It's the latest-generation compression method!"

"Shut up already! Kofu!"

He threw an empty glass bottle at the TV screen, smashing it: he inhaled and looked about to explode.

"I won't believe it until I see with my own eyes! Like I'd believe in such a stupidity! Kofu!"

_Excellent, Ijuuin Enzan and Raoul… Lead this clown to the cage! Heh, heh, heh, heh… I see everything: I am the "Shadow Schemer"!_

18:07 PM (Utah Time)…

"… This is the spot, kofu! Let's make sure nothing funny happens."

Ivan was standing in front of a big building and he plugged Cold Man into a public telephone.

"Hyu~h!"

Ivan rode an elevator to the upper floor and walked down a corridor.

"I can't believe that a company with such a decrepit office building has developed something which surpasses my own compression technology, kofu." He muttered.

He walked towards a double oak door which had a barely readable sign above it which read "Motalo Gisu c." from the looks of it.

"Here's the place, kofu…"

He entered a barely furnished room bathed by the evening's sun.

"Who might it be?" A youth's voice asked.

"What business do you have here?" Another voice asked.

"Who…? Kofu?"

The two guys from the TV came out from inside a row of lockers.

"You guys! Don't bluff around!"

"Huh?" The short one asked.

"_What_?" The tall one asked.

"_Gregory_! Your compression technology is a bluff!" He told them.

"It ain't a bluff!" The short one announced.

"_Right_! It's the same!" The tall one announced

"Your liars! Ski!"

"Ski? Is that a confession?"

"This is a _surprise_!" The tall guy announced.

"Don't screw me! There's nothing which can beat my Ivan Compression Method Formula researched during 30 years! Kofu!"

"Hmpf."

"Hmpf."

They stopped fooling around and looked at Ivan while their glasses shone: they looked amused.

"Yeah! That luring compression method doesn't exist!" The small guy grinned.

"So! The thing behind the massive Navi disappearances case is named "Ivan Compression Method Formula", huh?"

"Huh…! Who are you guys supposed to be, kofu?"

"Hmpf!"

"Hmpf!"

"Hrah!"

The two of them threw their wigs into the air and _somehow t_hey reverted out of the disguises: they then took out their PETs.

"The "Net Saviors"!" Enzan announced as he activated the hologram.

"W-w-what? The Ne… "Net Saviors"!"

"Hmpf!"

Raoul gestured with the head at the windows: Ivan looked outside to see various police cars parking on the street.

"Then, this spot…!" He grasped.

"This is a building we've set up!" Enzan replied.

"To lure you out, see." Raoul added.

Both walked towards Ivan, who took out his PET.

"I've fallen into a trap! You won't catch me! Kofu! Cold Man!"

"Roger!"

He began to freeze the building from the Cyber World as the two "Net Saviors" kept on walking towards Ivan.

"Sho – sho – shofu!"

An ice spear came out from the air ducts and they dodged it just in time as it drove into the ground.

"Cold Man! Thanks! Kofu!"

"WAIT!"

Both Enzan and Raoul chased Ivan down a corridor.

"Huff, huff… I'm bad at running! Kofu!"

"Use the "Dimensional Chip"!" Cold Man told him.

"Kofu?"

"If you want to save yourself then use it! If you get caught then your Ivan Compression Method Formula will run into trouble! Hyu~h!"

"That won't do, kofu!"

"Over here!" A policeman exclaimed.

Three of them turned the corner and headed for Ivan.

"Wait!"

Enzan and Raoul followed him from behind.

"Sho - shofu?"

Ivan inserted the "Dimensional Chip" and gasped.

"Sho~fu~!"

Cold Man materialized and turned to face the policemen.

"White Breath!"

"Please pull back!" Enzan ordered.

He took out his PET.

"Dimensional Area: Activate!"

Detective Hunter confirmed the order.

"Dimensional Area: Activate!"

A "Dimensional Area" formed around the building.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Ice Shoot!"

"CF" Blues jumped in front of Raoul to protect him.

"Enzan!"

"I'll handle this spot!" He announced.

Several Viruses were freezing the Cyber World's control panel at the same time: the policemen ran for it while dodging the ice spears although some of them ended up frozen.

"Raoul! Please defeat the Viruses in the Cyber World!" "CF" Blues instructed.

"Understood!"

"Don't run away! Kofu!" Ivan exclaimed.

"Won't let 'im! Ice Shoot!" Cold Man announced.

"CF" Blues intercepted the sliding ice cube again with ease and then looked at the opponent.

"I'm your opponent!" He exclaimed.

"Hyu~h! Eat this!"

He shot several ice shards which stabbed in the ground around "CF" Blues: they broke the ground and he fell into the foyer: he quickly stood up and ran away to avoid being crushed by Cold Man.

_How stubborn! Be deleted sans protest! _Freeze Man grumbled.

"Ice Shoot!"

"Battle Chip, Thunderbolt! Slot In!"

"Ice Shoot! Ice Shoot!"

The electrical shots hit the ice cubes and blew them up.

"Hyu~h! Not bad…"

"My bad. But I don't want to get frozen."

Raoul was running down another corridor as ice spears emerged from ventilation ducts in the ceiling.

"This ain't an _action game_!" He complained.

He entered a room.

"Saved… I'll fry you!" He muttered.

He found the computers from where the cold was emerging.

"Plug In! Thunder Man, Transmission!"

"Elec Beam!"

The attack destroyed the Viruses.

"Thunder Man! Free the temperature regulator and return the vents to normal!"

"Roger!"

Thunder Man shot electricity at the frozen control panel.

"White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath! White Breath!" Cold Man kept on shouting.

"CF" Blues dodged the snow blasts but Cold Man was freezing the ground: "CF" Blues to slide and he fell there: some shots hit him because he was unable to avoid them.

"Enzan!" Raoul, who was not oblivious to the situation, gasped.

The White Breath had frozen part of "CF" Blues' body.

"We won't make it on time! Ah! True! If I use this…!"

He took out the "Elec Grip" and attached it to the PET III.

"Thunder Man! Pour the whole of your energy on that thing!"

"Roger! Elec Beam!"

The attack finished unfreezing the control panel and the electricity traveled throughout the building through the vent ducts.

"… The end! Iceberg Press!"

Cold Man jumped and compacted: an electricity burst hit the ice which kept "CF" Blues trapped and started to break it, having come down from a ventilation vent.

"I can move my body!" He exclaimed in relief.

He broke free from the ice.

"Futile! You can't run away because the frozen floor will make you slip!"

"In that case… I'll use the ice! Battle Chip, Air Hockey! Slot In!"

He sped away from Cold Man, who landed in the ground.

"I missed!"

The hockey bounced against some stairs and headed back towards Cold Man.

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword! Slot In!"

"Futile, futile!"

"TAKE THIS! YA~H!"

"CF" Blues cut the upper half of Cold Man's body.

"GWRA~O~H!" He roared before he exploded.

Ivan, looking from the hole in the upper floor, was astonished.

"No way… My dream…! Shofu…" He muttered.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and the compressed Navis returned to normal: Ivan was arrested and Raoul questioned him as he was being taken away.

"What were you aiming to gain from this? Money?" He questioned.

"I have no need for money, kofu…" He muttered while looking away.

Raoul grabbed the coat's neck and confronted him.

"Then… Why? Even though you're a researcher, why did you…?"

"I did it because I'm a researcher, kofu!" He shot back.

"Huh?"

_Shofu…_

"… _You're going to cancel the research, kofu? The Ivan Compression Method Formula is going to become a worldwide invention! Kofu!"_

_Ivan had been arguing with an executive of some company._

"_Ivan – kun… Do you remember what the first thing you researched into when you started to work for our company was?" _

"_Ivan's Compression Method Formula, shofu…" Ivan had trailed off._

"_And you say it now when it's been but a string of failures." The man had said._

"_Ko-ko-kofu…" Ivan had gasped._

"_You've done fine for these thirty years. You'll have research funds all along: we've taken the decision on the morning meeting." _

"_Sho-sho-sho…" He'd muttered while looking defeated._

"_But there's no funding to support such pointless stuff."_

"_KOFU?" _

"_That persistence is magnificent. A vulgar person would've given up long ago by now. It'll be fine, Ivan – kun." _

"_How wet! Kofu! Are you telling me to quit this company?"_

"No one amongst the researchers would recognize my name if it was left behind… As long as I worked for the Devil…"

"And these were the results of that… Then you aren't a researcher anymore! A criminal! You won't win by mere puppy eyes!" Raoul looked at the sky and then confronted Ivan while closing a fist.

"Raoul…" Enzan seemed surprised by his partner's outburst.

Blues and Thunder Man removed their disguises afterwards.

"Blues. Good work." Enzan told him.

"_Good job, _Thunder Man." Raoul congratulated.

Both Enzan and Raoul had left the wigs and glasses on the usual desk.

"Raoul. _Arigatou_."

"What? It was thanks to this guy." Raoul replied.

"Why don't you keep on using it? It's totally fitting for you."

"Roger! I'll make sure to gather data!" Raoul grinned.

They both received an email at that moment.

"Mail!" Enzan wondered,

"Me, too… "Tournament runner-up Masked Thunder - sama"…"

"… "Champion Mr. Red Mask"…"

"… "As greatest singers in Ameroupe…"…"

"… "You shall appear in the upcoming World Singing Tournament…"…"

"HUH?" Both Navis gasped.

"W-world Tournament?" Both gasped.

04:44 AM (Paris Time), Friday August the 14th…

"… Huh? My cell – phone…"

The "Frenchman" had been standing in a balcony somewhere and stuffing both hands on the jacket's pockets as they stared at the Paris skyline: a cell-phone's sound rang out and he took it out.

"… Hmpf… Them, huh."

He formed a smug smile as he pressed the "REPLY" button.

"Insects squished by a hammering blow." The caller drily announced.

"Time." The man replied.

"13/07/2003."

"Hmpf. Surprised?"

"… More like disappointed." The caller replied.

"Huh? Disappointed?" The man sounded somewhat surprised.

"Needing to resort to such petty tricks…"

"All's fair in war, you fool." The man grinned.

"That over-used motto… I hate that."

"Bite the author."

"Whatever. As long as you play around with me or just go scare the hell outta Paris then I don't mind whatever you're up to. I'm busy enough over here anyway. But, remember… I'll do whatever it takes to protect them: and that includes burying you and the system you represent!"

"Come anytime! K. S.! My _rival_! I, the "Schemer", won't lose!"

"Hmpf… How idiotic… I'm off."

The "Schemer" pocketed their cell-phone and inwardly chuckled.

_Come at me and be buried instead, you traitor… Heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h!_


	9. Chapter 9: Dark Chips again

**Chapter 9: Dark Chips Again**

09:13 AM (Japan Time), Wednesday August the 19th…

_Time to check on Magnets…_

Freeze Man made his way into the HQ of the "Neo WWW" and brought up a camera: Tesla was eyeing her four lackeys.

"Heh, heh, heh… We will spread "Dark Chips" throughout the Cyber World once again… So as to spread fear and confusion amongst humanity…" She announced in an eager tone of voice.

_What? But PET IIIs are immune to "Dark Chips". Ijuuin Enzan saw to it and so did the Science Labs. Unless… A new version? That's bad. They must want to sell them around and gain new funds. By the way, Search Man's in Japan now… He came a few days ago during the incident of "Asteroid" Gravity Man… Colonel showed up to help us defeat them too._

Umonusuke roared.

"I'll go." Inukai declared.

"Looks like your confidence has ended?"

"More or less. I've gotten the "Dark Chips". Saiko! Come with me too." He commanded.

"Ah. Fine." He sounded amused.

"It's settled!"

"I understand. I'll be expecting results." Tesla calmly told him.

"Yeah! We'll do it."

Umonusuke roared again.

_Che. Bothersome meddling mice. You're in the way of the resurrection of we "Gospel" and this has become a new localized cold war like with the "Darkloids"… Whatever… One day they'll be brought down… And then there'll be no – one to oppose us… "Gospel" will rise again and we'll be victorious! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_

11:21 AM (Japan Time)…

_Trouble already. You sure are impatient. _

A train was having trouble: it was accelerating out of control while a Net Police chopper was checking out the situation.

"The train has passed through Akihara Station at top speed!"

She eyed her PET: the train was catching up way too fast to the train ahead of it: the driver was trying to engage the brakes to no avail because the control Navi was running berserk and sabotaging the control system.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah! Mwah, hah, hah, hah! My train is… worldwide! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! My train is… the fastest in the world! Hah, hah, hah! Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Wah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

He kept on laughing and a familiar purple-tinted light surrounded his body.

"The driver Navi has hijacked the driving system and further increasing the speed! If it keeps that speed then it'll collide with the cargo train running on ahead before it can reach a deviation point! Hurry it up! Netto – kun! Laika – kun!"

Netto made his way through the crowd.

"Let me through, please!"

Laika followed the train on his motorbike.

"Let me through, please!"

Netto kept making his way through and Laika kept driving alongside the train: Netto managed to break free of the crowd and ran towards the cockpit whle Laika spotted a ramp from a car-carrying truck and decided to use it: Netto reached the cockpit and showed his "Net Savior" hologram to the driver.

"I'm a "Net Savior"!" He announced.

"The Navi went mad all of a sudden!" The driver reported.

"Please step aside! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Stop it! Halt the train!" Rock Man tried to order the berserk Navi.

The Navi attacked with his tool as the "aura" formed around him and pushed him to the ground even though Rock Man actually did dodge the incoming attack.

"It's not normal for the driver Navi to have this level of power…!" He gasped.

The train was about to collide with a cargo train just a few meters ahead.

"Battle Chip, Energy Bomb! Slot In!"

The berserk Navi caught it with his right hand and returned it.

"Bwah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Battle Chip, Geyser! Slot In!"

The water attack hit the Navi.

"Battle Chip, Blizzard! Slot In!"

"What! That's impossible!" The Navi uttered while a mass of ice immobilized him.

_Saito – niisan! Fix the "Core Block"!_

_Yup!_

The berserk Navi suddenly broke free and punched Rock Man.

"No one stops me~!" He yelled.

"Useless! We won't make it on time!" The driver yelled.

The convoy was way too close.

"Rock Man!"

A gun was shot and Rock Man gasped: the Navi was deleted when the shot hit him fully and the emergency brakes activated: the train finally stopped and Rock Man turned to see Search Man.

"Search Man…!"

_Hum! _Déjà vu _even! That reminds me of the first meeting when Search Man had to save him from some berserk Navis too._

Netto spotted Laika with that serious face of his.

"Laika…"

"So as to protect the passengers… It was obvious that deleting them was unavoidable."

Netto looked half taken aback: the system beeped and ejected a Recovery 63 Battle Chip: but looking closely at it they realized it was a new model of the "Dark Chip".

"_Dark Chips"… Again…_ Netto thought.

_The nightmare again… _Saito thought as well.

"…The investigation's results are these: it was set to look like a vulgar Chip and to affect PET IIIs… We've realized it's a new-model "Dark Chip"."

Netto, Laika and Dr. Hikari discussed with Commissioner Kifune about the situation within the Science Labs via video-conference.

"You can't tell it from the outside. The driver admitted that the thought it replenished the energy so he kept on using that…" Netto added.

"And, as a result, the driver Navi was infected by the "Dark Chip" and went berserk." Laika summed up.

"Several crimes in which "Dark Chips" are involved have been popping out ever since this month began. Who the culprits were… Or what did they seek… Was unknown."

"… Speaking of the "Dark Chips", Twilight was the one who… It couldn't be."

"No. Twilight was annihilated back when that incident."

"_CF" Netto fired at the monster's chest at the same time Search Man shot the energy core, provoking a wide explosion in both objects: the monster's body became raw data and began to break down. _

_A big hole had opened on the chest and the nuclear fusion - using energy core of the monster could be seen inside: it was shining with a bright white light._

_The monster then exploded in a huge burst leaving nothing but some raw data floating around._

"… The culprits could be using Twilight's factories. I've ordered Manabe – kun and Meijin to run an investigation. Netto – kun: I'd like of you to continue with figuring out the origins of these "Dark Chips" too." Kifune ordered.

"Roger!"

Laika turned to Dr. Hikari.

"Then, Hikari - hakase… Let us get started."

Yuuichirou nodded and they walked out.

"Commissioner? What's Laika doing?"

"He has another mission."

"Another mission?"

He looked towards the direction they'd left, puzzled.

_So it isn't that obvious yet? Well. I think that they'll eventually figure it out: but from the looks of it that meeting of this morning was just to jump to a new phase… Maybe they've been causing incidents in isolate spots as tests before the real deal… _Freeze Man reflected.

"…I'll regenerate the Health Points by using a Recovery 300!"

Two standard Navis were having a punch duel inside of a machine in the Game Center "Game Soul': one of the Operators took out a Chip the label of which read "315" instead of the normal "300".

_I did well on sticking around. Whatever the Frenchman is up to I don't care: this is more worrisome. _"K. S." was there and looking at the ongoing Net Battle.

One of the Navis was infected by the "Dark Chip" so he hit his rival and deleted him.

"It can't be!" The Operator exclaimed.

The Navi roared in power and broke the floor of the Cyber World, causing the real-world machine to crack and smoke: people ran out in panic and "K. S." grumbled under his breath.

_That woman and their lackeys…! I need to hunt down more signatures of these new-model "Dark Chips"!_

A worker controlling a crane used in the construction of a building suddenly saw how his crane hit the building with the steel beam it was carrying and it broke a large chunk of it.

"W-what happened?" He gasped.

One Ferris wheel was spinning at a mad rate and a carrousel was also having the same problem.

_Here too!_

One technician trying to fix an attraction had to run out of the control center as the pendulum ship crashed into the control center.

_They are spreading the "Dark Chips" by camouflaging them as Chips which can make a Navi's abilities go up. And while they don't know that, they use them and the Navi's affected by the poison of the "Dark Chip" thus going berserk… Unforgivable! _Netto thought as he examined one scene.

"Even the Net Police are calling for people to not to use the new-model Chips. The case isn't advancing at all."

Netto discussed the topic with Meiru while in a shopping mall: they both had an ice - cream on hand.

"I guess there's no way around but to catch the culprits." Meiru sighed in defeat too.

_And I hope we find them soon too: today's spreading is happening way too fast. _

"Oh?"

Netto spotted a robot dog.

"P – One!"

"They've become popular!" Meiru explained.

"They can have multiple uses!"

"Since they can do the same function as credit cards do… They can also carry out transactions!" Meiru added.

"That's good… Huh? Another?"

He spotted more of them on the street.

"There's a lot of 'em! What's more: even young kids have them! They're very expensive!" He exclaimed.

"You didn't know, Netto? The price has been lowered! Thus they've become abundant in exchange!" Meiru told him.

"Really?"

_That reeks! Too much even. It reeks of rotten eggs._

"It looks like their factory is producing a lot of them. They've become cheap."

"Looks like it is producing a lot of them?" Netto frowned.

"I'd like to have a red one! How about you, Netto?" Meiru brought up with a smile.

Netto looked serious.

_Catching on? Let's check on Mr. Laika._

Laika was standing inside of the "Dimensional Area" test area and he'd removed his cap.

_It couldn't be! _"K. S." was surprised.

"Laika – kun! Are you ready?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"Yes, sir."

_And now let's scout that factory. _

"No, really… You've helped us a lot by giving us these many Chips. We've even been able to extend the production too. Thanks."

Inukai and Saiko were chatting with one of the managers: there was an open attaché case with lots of those camouflaged Chips inside set atop the living room's table.

_So there's something to gain… Smuggling them into the P-Ones?_

"There is no need for thanks. In exchange… We shall be taking over this factory." Saiko declared.

The manager blinked, surprised, as both Saiko and Inukai stood up.

"Dimensional Chip, Slot In." Saiko announced.

Flash Man materialized and the manager tried to make a run for it: he was blocked by the "Asteroid" before he'd reached the door.

"Not so fast! Hypnosis Flash!"

He hypnotized the manager.

_Che. Bothersome meddling fools! _

Netto popped his head out of some bushes near the factory.

_The increase in "P – One" production might be because they're using "Dark Chips": you never know. We've gotta check it out._

Netto got inside and dodged an employee who looked absent-minded: Netto then climbed in top of a box to reach a panel.

_Niisan?_

_It's just your everyday electrical system._

_I see…_

_Let's search elsewhere._

He heard a noise and hid in the space between the box and two vending machines: two employees were walking down the corridor from opposite directions so he hid behind the box and emerged with a plastic cup on his head: he then used a cardboard box to move around and hide: no one took notice of him.

_Heh. Are you emulating Solid Snake, gentlemen? _

"Where could the management system be at?" He wondered.

He was surprised as the door besides him opened and the manager walked out: he tried to act the dog but the guy completely ignored him.

"Whoa! Eh… Wow, wow! He didn't take notice…"

_Yeah! It'd seem they don't see you at all! _Saito exclaimed.

_Yeah. Weird._

He tried getting the attention of some workers by waving a hand in front of their faces, but to no avail: they all acted like automatons.

"What's going on?" He wondered.

Saiko and Inukai finished some coffee.

"Good work. The only thing left to do is to wait." Saiko announced with a smile.

"Heh." Inukai grinned.

Netto got into an observation deck.

"I see… It's managed from here…"

He eyed CCTV camera footage which showed how a robot arm inserted a special Chip on the slot of a control machine.

"That Chip… It couldn't be! It can't be!" He gasped.

A "Dark Chip" appeared on the screens of various consoles.

"…"Dark Chips"! These camouflaged "Dark Chips" are increasing this factory's production, then!"

_Otouto! Have a look at that!_

He eyed a screen in which he could see the assembled robot dogs so Netto ran downstairs and found a mechanic arm inserting the "Dark Chips" on the dogs so he picked one.

"This, too… The "Dark Chips" are even inserted into the P – Ones!" He gasped.

He pictured what happened next: the dogs malfunctioned and spit out various "Dark Chips" thus getting them into the systems and causing all sorts of malfunctions.

"This is trouble! If these spread out then the whole city will be overwhelmed by the "Dark Chips"!"

_You'd be better off reporting this, gentlemen._

"… Good work! Netto – kun. I'll send backup ASAP." Kifune told him once he'd reported his findings a while later.

_Saito – niisan! Let's stop the machines!_

_Roger, otouto!_

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Rock Man entered a computer system and saw corrupted Navis messing with the files.

_No good! They're already corrupted by the "Dark Chips" and acting weird._

He felt a small electrical signal travelling through the circuit and he realized what it was.

"It ain't just the Navis! They're controlling this production system! We'll have to break the hacking blocks to stop it!"

"I won't allow it! Jumping Claw!"

Rock Man gasped when Beast Man jumped towards him.

"Beast Man!"

"I see! So the "Neo WWW" guys were the ones spreading the "Dark Chips" around, then! Battle Chip, Drill Arm! Slot…!"

He didn't finish as he heard a bark and a robot dog jumped and robbed him of the Chip.

"A P – One!"

The dog broke it and another two appeared: they looked in a bad mood.

"What's going on with them?" He wondered.

"Hikari Netto!" A familiar voice yelled.

He turned to see two persons in an upper level.

"Inukai! Saiko!"

"You're supposed to greet when you step somewhere!" Inukai taunted.

"P – One! Punish them!" Saiko commanded.

Netto tried to use a steel bar but the dog broke it with its mouth: he let go of the PET due to the surprise and it fell into a conveyor belt.

"Ah! My PET…!"

He eyed how it climbed to another level.

_Saito – niisan! Hang in there, I'm coming!_

_Hurry it up!_

"When you can't borrow the Operator's strength not even you qualify as a worthy foe! Beast Ray!" Beast Man exclaimed as he attacked Rock Man.

_You bothersome savages… Eat diamonds!_

Beast Man inwardly gasped as the diamonds plunged into his body from behind but Rock Man didn't see that: Netto was running besides the conveyor.

"Oh! From there, then!"

_Catch it up already, Hikari!_

He spotted a catwalk which crossed over the conveyor belt while the P – Ones chased him: he spotted the PET coming.

"Good!

He tried to jump onto it only to find that a dog had bitten his shorts thus pulling him down: he kicked it and kept running but an arm picked the PET and moved it to another section so he kept on running while Inukai and Saiko watched.

"Rock Buster!"

Beast Man easily dodged it and kicked Rock Man, making him hit a wall.

"Wild Rush!"

His two claws detached and hit both sides of Rock Man's head: he then fell to the ground while having his face covered in bruises.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! I'll finish you off!"

Beast Man suddenly growled something as his body seemed to slow down, but, again, Rock Man didn't see that.

_Having a taste of my medicine?_ Freeze Man grinned.

Netto kept on running. He opened the Chip pouch on his wrist and picked one which he threw to the PET: it fell from the arm.

"I did it! Oh!"

The PET fell into another belt: this one led towards a molding device which shaped the steel plates into the main body of the dogs: Netto hissed but turned to see that the dogs were cornering him.

"At this rate…!" He hissed.

One dog jumped towards him.

"Gotta risk it!"

He jumped over the railing of the catwalk but grabbed into the railing's support and flipped in the air with one hand.

_You're good at gymnastics, gentlemen!_

The dogs missed him and hit the generator of the molding device, effectively disabling it.

"Good job! However! You won't get past there. You can't win anymore without the PET!" Saiko declared.

"It's ended, Hikari Netto!" Inukai announced with a grin.

The three core blocks were surrounded by hacking blocks but a vortex opened and three laser shot disabled the overrides: the "Dark Chips" on the real world smoked and the machines stopped and they all gasped.

_Ah! The reinforcements came!_

"The hacking blocks…?" Rock Man wondered aloud.

"… Have been destroyed, ya say! Che!" Beast Man cursed before he retreated.

"But exactly why…?" Saiko hissed.

They heard an engine sound approaching: the room's doors burst open and a familiar motorbike jumped inside: it stopped and the pilot removed the helmet.

"Laika!" Netto exclaimed.

"Hacking block destruction: completed." Search Man reported.

"Excellent."

"So you've come for it!" Saiko grumbled.

"We'll make you regret coming here!" Inukai threatened next.

"DIMENSIONAL CHIP, SLOT IN!"

Beast Man and Flash Man materialized.

"Eat this up!" Beast Man announced as he readied his claw.

"Laika!"

Beast Man attacked the bike but there was no pilot on it: Laika had jumped out of the way: a "Dimensional Area" formed around the factory so Laika smiled and took out a new model of the "Synchro Chip" which he held in his right hand: this new model was built in a different material but kept the main circle with the grooves, the dome-shaped green emerald jewel and the Hikari crest.

"That's…!" Netto gasped.

He discarded his trademark coat.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Laika announced to everyone's surprise.

_Wow! _

"CF" Laika's design had him gain green-colored armor over his upper torso and gray shoulder-plates to protect them: when the armor formed over his body the bodysuit spread from its openings: the bodysuit's color was plain black with two white-like stripes running down across the length of his body's sides.

Armor surrounded the whole diameter of his neck and a circular helmet made of gray and green armor formed: transparent orange-tinted shades lowered over his eyes and the radio antenna Search Man had was incorporated there too.

Cylindrical armor with two thick circles after the elbows and over the wrists formed over his forearms: fingerless "gloves" protected the hands and Search Man's emblem formed over them.

The boots' design had an oval-shaped piece of armor over the knees and allowed for some gaps around the knees and half-way across the feet's length: they had an irregular shape.

The "Scope Gun" formed as a detached weapon which was just like any normal real weapon and it wasn't a built-in component: Laika picked it and held it with his right hand.

"Laika and Search Man…!" Netto uttered.

"There are more guys who can do "Cross Fusion", then?" Saiko cursed.

"Hah! We'll erase the interlopers. Beast Man!"

"Beast Ray!"

"CF" Laika easily dodged.

"What!" He exclaimed.

"Neon Light! You lowlife~! This can't be dodged!" Flash Man prattled with obvious arrogance.

"CF" Laika jumped into the air and dodged with ease again as the attacks hit the far wall.

"What?"

"Directional Camouflage!"

"CF" Laika turned invisible.

"He disappeared…! How did he…?" Flash Man gasped as he looked around the room.

Beast Man was also clueless.

"Show yourself!"

Flash Man charged up an electrical ball but he did not see the vortex which appeared behind one of his legs and nor the rifle's muzzle: "CF" Laika appeared and shot him next to the waist.

"Since when…?" Flash Man gasped.

"You lowlife!"

Beast Man jumped towards him but "CF" Laika simply hit Flash Man's legs, thus making him loose his balance.

"What?" He gasped.

Beast Man's right claw hit Flash Man's electrical sphere, thus provoking an explosion which hit both of them.

"Che!" Inukai scoffed.

"What strength…! Even though he's facing two "Asteroids" he can make battle at his pace!" Netto muttered as he walked down some stairs while looking baffled.

"Ya jerk… Unforgivable! Lend me power, Flash Man!"

"Neon Light!"

"Scope Gun!"

Beast Man electrified his claws with the Neon Light thus deflecting the Scope Gun shot.

"Take this! Neon Light Claw!"

An energy attack in the shape of a fin ran towards "CF" Laika and his shot was deflected.

"That kind of crappy weapon ain't gonna work!" Beast Man scoffed.

"CF" Laika kept his cool and a point-blank shot broke through the attack splitting it into two halves.

"What?" Beast Man gasped.

Beast Man heard a strange sound at his feet: a grenade stopped there.

"Search Grenade!"

"Ah! Curses!"

The grenade detonated and created a smoke cloud.

"Where…?"

Flash Man tried to see through the smoke while "CF" Laika aimed for the two of them.

"Shoot!"

A precision shot hit the right side of Beast Man's torso, passed through him, and hit the left side of Flash Man's head.

_Wow! What aim! _Freeze Man whistled.

The damage forced the two "Asteroids" to retreat.

"Flash Man!"

"Beast Man!"

_Talk about underestimating a new opponent. He calmly dodged each attack and caught them off-guard the whole time! They were too used to Mr. Hikari Sr.'s battle behavior. _

The employees returned to normal and the manager suddenly looked around.

"Huh! What exactly was I…?" He wondered.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and Laika cancelled the "Cross Fusion" while the two "Neo WWW" members ran for it.

"I'll remember this!" Inukai threatened.

_Phew! Saved! Well! 3 "Cross Fusion" users… This will become interesting: I'm sure that Desert Man and Video Man would tremble in fear if they could remember how Search Man and Mr. Laika beat them in the past, some months ago… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_

"… What a contrary behavior! You had the mania of saying that you needn't "Cross Fusion", see!"

Netto was talking with Laika in one of the Science Labs' offices.

"The world is currently being threatened by the "Asteroids". And the spreading of "Dark Chips" has begun too." Laika merely replied.

Yuuichirou turned to look at them.

"And that's when Sharo replied by having Laika – kun gain "Cross Fusion". They officially request of me to develop a new "Synchro Chip" for "Cross Fusion" Search Man, see. But I knew I had to level up the "Synchronism" of Laika – kun because, last time he came to Japan, it was still far from that of Netto and Enzan – kun."

"The upcoming battles will demand usage of "Cross Fusion". It's somewhat ironic, even."

"Che." Netto smiled.

"Hmpf." Laika played the offended.

_Netto, Enzan – kun and Laika – kun… We've gathered three warriors who can use "Cross Fusion"! It'll be an interesting happening!_

"By the way, Netto… Enzan told me something about Twilight having had a cousin… Did I get him well?"

"Mister "K. S."? Yeah. He's a rather odd mister, true. But he seems to be in our side, anyway. I think he knows anything which happens around us too, and I believe him to live around here…" Netto admitted.

"Hum. I'd like to have a run-in with the man one day, even…"

_Ah! That can be easily arranged, Mr. Laika… Or maybe I can just send my daily observations via post mail. I believe you'll be staying here for a few more days, anyway… Heh, heh, heh… Well. The "Neo WWW" won't be that troublesome now, I believe… Time to hunt down some "Asteroids" and gain some new companions… See you around…_

His cell-phone suddenly rang and he formed a scowl as he drew it up: he fumed and patched the call in.

"What now?" He demanded.

"If they have potential then bring them to the living _Naraku_ instead of pointlessly killing them off… 19/12/2000…" The caller replied.

"Whatever! Don't just boast around! Fight me!"

"When I feel like it, you triple accursed snake with poisonous fangs…"

"That's my motto, you psycho."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah!"

_Che. They've cut up. Whatever. You won't harm them and I'll see to it: brag while you can! One day I'll have you be imprisoned forever! Hmpf!_


	10. Chapter 10: Dr Wily's Daughter

**Chapter 10: Dr. Wily's Daughter**

15:29 PM (Japan Time), Saturday August the 29th…

_He was floating within the water: some light shone above him and he was rising: he broke through the surface of the water and looked at the skies._

Misaki Gorou suddenly opened his eyes.

"Ah! _Sensei_! Room 29th's patient…!"

"What?" A medic uttered nearby.

… _Hum. They're re-playing Mr. Forte's battle against Slur … _

Netto, Yuuichirou, Meijin, Kifune and Manabe were reviewing the record of Forte's skirmish with Slur in the Net Police HQ: she'd summoned some kind of cords and immobilized him before she threw him into the Reverse Cyber World: none of them noticed a dragonfly in the ceiling looking at them.

"The Extraterrestrial Net Navi: Slur. She's Duo's envoy and offers humanity with the "Asteroids". The Net Police has been, simultaneously, searching for Slur and responding to the risk the "Asteroids" pose yet… "Asteroid" incidents are popping out in a worldwide manner." Kifune exposed with obvious defeatism.

"The "Asteroids" are a power which amplifies the evil and greed in the depths of humans' hearts… Slur will go after those who have that said type of heart…"

"Regrettably… We've got no estimation at all of Slur's battling abilities... And even so… THE Forte was… thrown into the Reverse Cyber World…"

_Forte…_

_I wonder if he's alright, there, in the Reverse Cyber World…_

"Huh! What did you say? Detective Misaki…?" Manabe gasped when replying to a phone call.

"Detective Misaki?" Commissioner Kifune was startled.

15:53 PM (Japan Time)…

"… You were injured on that incident and ended up disabled: it'd looked like we'd have to give up yet… Misaki – kun! I'm glad you've alright by now."

Commissioner Kifune was present along with Netto and Superintendent Manabe.

"You have my gratitude for your concern, Commissioner. But it seems like I'll have to undergo rehabilitation for a while." He announced.

"You were unconscious on the bed for three months. Don't rush it."

"Misaki – san: a present. Misaki – san's new PET."

He handed Misaki a PET III painted gray and with his emblem.

"… Oh… So the PETs have changed model ever since three months ago too… Feels somewhat intriguing, even…"

"Hey… Try to do a Plug - In."

"Now?" He frowned.

"It'll be fine! Hurry it up."

He did that and the holographic screen popped out: it displayed Prism Man.

"Prism Man!"

"Detective Misaki." He saluted.

"Prism Man… You…" Misaki muttered.

"The effects of the "Dark Chip" are gone, sir. I will be resuming my duties, sir."

"So that's how it is." He looked relieved.

"He'll be your partner again from today onwards." Kifune told him,

"Thank you a lot."

"Isn't it great, Prism Man?" Netto commented.

"Yes, sir."

"By the way… Misaki – kun. It'd seem that the one who brought you over to the hospital was a woman?"

"Yes, sir… They left without saying their name, yet… But, surely… It was _her_… Oozono… Yuriko…" Misaki muttered.

"_You… TRAITOR!"_

"_YURIKO~!"_

"_DIE~!"_

Oozone Yuriko was walking down the streets of Akihara: she had her usual attire on and hadn't physically changed ever since some months ago.

_Heh. So you were alive, Miss In Black._

She failed to notice the "Schemer" looking at her from a distance: he then spotted Dr. Wily pulling his trolley along the same street and they crossed paths without recognizing each other: they both suddenly stopped.

_Mutual recognition, eh? By the way… These guys have been busy! That clown… I mean… That "Asteroid", Yamato Man, appeared. And the Operator turned out to be a countryman of Laika… Our excellent Siberian hound happened to have a "Crest" too… Then "Asteroid" Napalm Man shows up: the PET II of some petty imbecile with delusions of power got broken and they ended up meeting some fireworks maker named Rokushadama Nenji with whom they became buddy-buddy… And more recently… That buffoon herd of the "Neo WWW" went to an island to try to hijack a chopper… Airstair got involved with Magnets' daughter and it'd seem they both have "Crests" too… Heh! It's been entertaining._

"It has been a while, Doctor Wily. No… _Father_." Yuriko calmly announced in an unimpressed manner.

".. I wonder how many years it's been since you've addressed me like that… Yuriko." He turned around to face her as she took off the glasses.

16:28 PM (Japan Time)…

"… She is the owner of some particular "regeneration" ability: it's no mystery that she's alive."

Commissioner Kifune's car was driving down the streets heading for the Net Police HQ.

"About this… What I should I tell Mariko – sensei?"

"Since it's still a pre-eliminatory state… We could try to ascertain it with some fresh info, right?"

"I see… Guess so…" Netto looked somewhat uneasy.

_Otouto! _

Two streams of light colored yellow and red were racing alongside each other across the Cyber World.

_Something's coming!_

_Yes. And I'm feeling it too! _Freeze Man gasped too as he looked around from inside of Rock Man's PET III.

One of the traffic lights nearby began to frizzle and a small electrical discharge hit a vehicle, causing its engine's lid to open and for it to stop: Manabe barely managed to avoid a collision.

_Too close._

The two streams kept colliding against each other thus causing electrical discharges to pop out in various places and damage to the surroundings.

"What in blazes is going on?" Netto wondered as he looked out from the car's lowered window.

"The source is in the Cyber Space! Otouto!" Rock Man announced.

"Cyber Space?"

Rock Man was hugging his chest emblem.

"Plug me in! Hurry!" He rallied.

"I get you, niisan!"

Netto climbed out of the car and spotted a public telephone.

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

The two streams of light stopped on separate platforms: the yellow one was Slur while the red one was Colonel.

"Who are you?" Slur questioned.

"My name is Colonel. I oppose the so-called "Asteroids" which spread across the surface! My saber will deliver punishment!"

Colonel took out his sword and jumped towards Slur: she jumped out of the attack's way just in time.

"How foolish. The "Asteroids" are the realization of the humans' desires. I am but handing them out."

"It's useless to pretend!"

He jumped towards her and she simply brought up the right arm.

"Heh."

Rock Man arrived at the scene.

"That's…!"

He spotted both of them in "stream" form hitting each other.

"What did you say? Colonel and Slur are clashing?" Netto asked with obvious surprise.

The two adults gasped.

"Ha~h!"

Colonel sped forward and his sword apparently plunged through Slur.

"Hmpf."

She merely smiled and those strange cables appeared: they immobilized Colonel and disabled his sword.

_What in the… There's no hitting them or what? _Freeze Man cursed.

"Volcano Cannon!"

The burst stream of flames burnt the wires, freeing Colonel, who fell to his knees, exhausted: Slur looked dead serious now.

"Rock Man…" She dully muttered.

_So she's learnt his name._

"Slur! I'm your next opponent!" He exclaimed.

"Soul Unison, Search Soul! Slot In!"

"Satellite Ray, Scope Gun!"

The shots didn't even make Slur flinch.

"Soul Unison, Blues Soul! Slot In! Sword, Slot In!"

Rock Man jumped forward only to be blocked by Slur's left arm: she smiled.

"Heh, heh."

Rock Man tried two or three extra slashes but they were either blocked or dodged: Slur jumped back a meter or two.

"Why, you…! Do not dare to think that you will end up in one piece after doing this to me!" She now sounded pissed off.

The wires appeared again and kept him glued to the ground.

"What! What are these?" He exclaimed

"Disappear! Into the Reverse Cyber World." She announced.

She transformed into the yellow stream again and dived towards him.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto yelled in panic.

Colonel jumped in front of the stream and grabbed it.

"Colonel!" Rock Man gasped.

They moved to the left and Colonel let go of it while falling to the ground: a vortex opened and Slur jumped inside: it closed immediately afterwards: the wires vanished and the "Soul Unison" was cancelled.

"Colonel!"

Rock Man ran over to Colonel: he was clearly heavily damaged and his sword arm was leaking data.

"Netto - kun! Colonel's in trouble! Parts of his data are breaking apart!"

"Take him to the Science Labs! We'll get there ASAP!"

"I get you!"

"Commissioner." Manabe called out.

"If Slur bothered to show her hide, then… An "Asteroid" has fallen into someone's hands again."

_That Navi's ridiculously strong! And they were just playing around with both opponents! Che! This is out of our league? Is there nothing which can stop them? _Freeze Man grumbled.

A man on his thirties with glasses examined a PET II and smiled as "Asteroid" Bomber Man appeared on it.

"Hmpf."

"What is you lowlife's wish? Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

_Hmpf… I heard of the ruckus… That servant's an eyesore but maybe we could make use of them…_

Wily was enjoying a dish of spaghetti in an outdoor café which Yuriko often visited: the "Schemer" was sitting close by and he also spotted "K. S." not too far from there.

_Heh. Wanting to have a sneak listening, K. S.? Whatever. Just sit there in your back-row seat and listen up…_

"Waiter! A _carbonara_ supplement!"

Yuriko drank some coffee.

"Well then… Where have we left off at? Ah! True, true! You made a deal with Regal and fled from my research lab about… If I remember right…"

"Eleven years ago!" She merely replied.

_1994, then? They stayed 4 years with him. _"K. S." drank some coffee too as he listened in.

"True! Eleven years ago! I haven't ever forgotten about how I raised you two, the alien children who had become the "Probes" revamped by Duo…"

"_Earthlings… So as to supervise this planet's Network civilization… You two humans shall become my Probes and be regenerated. You will be granted with the abilities of the great Duo." _

"But…"

_Both she and Regal had been washed ashore and Wily found them. _

"I, who was Duo's "Probe", was treated as a mere guinea-pig."

_Wily's island mansion had tall bleak and ominous concrete walls with spikes set on their upper edges: the mansion itself was rather humble and didn't stand out at all._

_She'd been standing in the outer yard and been absent - mindedly gazing into the skies as rain had fallen around her. _

"I and Regal… Neither of us was allowed to exit the research lab."

_She and Regal were placed within some horizontal devices and had been fitted with a strange helmet with lots of wires attached to their heads: _

"Day after day… You increased the scale of your experiments' stages." She continued.

_She'd seen a big bird flying around the area on one sunny day. _

"Thanks to that, you, Father, were able to acquire Duo's super-science, but… I… was wishing for freedom."

Returning to present, Wily finished his _carbonara_.

"Regal promised that he'd help me escape. As a fellow human granted Duo's genes… The only condition he set was to cooperate in covering the world in fear and terror so as to rule it… I gladly bowed loyalty to Regal as an agent of Nebula. But… It'd seem that I broke free at the very end." She narrated.

"Are you hungry?"

"Huh?"

She eyed a dish of what seemed to be fish with oysters.

"Oh. Please have them." She replied.

Wily smiled and picked the dish.

"But Regal was a pitiful man… Just the fact of being chosen as Duo's "Probe" didn't make him be able to stop Yoru Yami from stealing "Nebula"… But Yoru Yami wasn't able to stand up to that ability…" He muttered.

"… _HRA~H! Charge Shot…! GO~!" "CF" Netto yelled._

_He fired at the monster's chest at the same time Search Man shot the energy core, provoking a wide explosion in both objects: the monster's body became raw data and began to break down: a big hole had opened on the chest and the nuclear fusion - using energy core of the monster could be seen inside: it was shining with a bright white light. _

"_IMPOSSIBLE~!" Twilight roared._

_The monster then exploded in a huge burst leaving nothing but some raw data floating around _

"He was completely annihilated from this world. Well! Better sooner than later! Having we humanity erased by Duo might've been our fate for all we know…"

Yuriko did not answer: she looked at the sky and could see the comet moving across it.

"It'd seem that… You've got something which you've got to do."

Yuriko stood up all of sudden.

"I'll be going already. It's not like I don't appreciate the meeting but…"

"Wait, Yuriko."

She turned around and Wily tossed her a can which she caught it with her right hand.

_A can, eh? There's prize._ The "Schemer" grinned.

_Huh! They're here… Che. And here I thought they'd stay fooling around in Paris… Their presence makes me nervous… Is that their aim?_

"Hold it. It's my gratitude." He insisted.

"Hmmm?"

She shook the can: there was something inside of it, so she opened it and found a "Synchro Chip" which looked different from those issued by the Science Labs: it obviously was Wily's own design: this "Wily Model Synchro Chip" had a smaller jewel on the center, a black circular edge with two "arms" spreading from it, a circle surrounding the whole center, and it was a combination of a rectangle and a hourglass' shape.

_Dr. Wily's own model…! No wonder. He invented the "Dimensional Areas" to begin with… _

"This is…!" She gasped.

She looked at where Wily had been: he was gone along with his mechanical trolley.

"Father…" She muttered while looking surprised.

_Heh. It was amusing. Truly. Regal was a pitiful man. _

"_Au revoir, mon ami._" He muttered.

"The "Schemer" walked away while chuckling under their breath and "K. S." grumbled under their breath…

17:52 PM (Japan Time)…

_Well! Let's find out if they can fully repair Colonel or not…_

Freeze Man looked on as Colonel's hologram was being displayed inside of a capsule within the Science labs.

"The data breakup has slowed down, but… He'll need some detailed checkup."

"Detailed checkup?"

"We have to properly investigate Colonel's body before repairing." Meijin added.

"Commissioner Kifune. According to one data segment which we have analyzed… It'd seem that Colonel was designed by Ameroupe Army technology some years ago."

"The Ameroupe Army, did you say?"

"Colonel is completely designed for battle. He's a military Navi."

"Is that really so?" Kifune asked.

Colonel stirred.

"He's regaining consciousness!" Netto exclaimed.

"… W-where am I?" Colonel asked.

"The Science Labs." Netto explained.

"You suffered grave injuries from your battle with Slur because you tried to protect me."

_Hum. So he's a military Navi with some years of experience._

"If I don't pull out ASAP then…!"

"Please wait, Colonel. There are some things we'd like to ask of…!"

His body began to shine and emit a bright light before he vanished.

"He vanished…"

18:05 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Duo, huh?"

Detective Misaki muttered aloud after reading data being displayed by his PET III's screen.

"It looks like some big trouble has happened in these three months."

"Detective Misaki." Prism Man called out as he appeared on-screen.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I've felt a distinct Plug-In signature within this hospital right now."

"A distinct Plug-In, you say?" Misaki frowned.

"It's different from a Net Navi… It's possible that they may be one of the "Asteroids", even."

"An "Asteroid", you say!" Misaki was surprised.

"… Hmpf."

The Operator of "Asteroid" Bomber Man smiled in an evil way as several ATM machines inside of a bank exploded: the technicians were astonished.

"The data is being destroyed!"

Bomber Man smiled while inside of the computer systems.

"Next!" He exclaimed.

He warped to another bank's Cyber World and kicked some bombs across the Cyber World.

"Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah…"

The same happened to other banks like the Giga Net Bank.

_Troublesome savages. _"K. S." grumbled as his Navi inspected what was going on.

"… We've got an "Asteroid" case in DS Town!" Meijin reported in the meanwhile.

"In DS Town, you say?" Commissioner Kifune asked.

"That's the city where Misaki – san's hospital is at!" Netto exclaimed.

"Banks on the district are suffering destruction of their data one by one in a methodical manner." Meijin pointed out.

A map signaling the affected banks was being displayed in the LCD screen.

"Commissioner!"

"Go assist at the scene with Manabe – kun's car!"

"Yes, sir!"

Misaki was riding an automated wheelchair inside of elevator and his PET was resting on an armrest near the control joystick.

_Going to find the source? _"K. S." guessed.

The elevator reached the floor and he moved out: he approached a door the sign of which read "2nd Warehouse".

"The Plug-In has been detected as being made from this room." Prism Man announced.

"Warehouse…?"

Misaki tried to open the door but it was locked.

"Prism Man. I'm counting on you." He announced.

"Roger."

"Plug In! Prism Man, Transmission!"

Prism Man entered the system.

"I will disable the lock." Prism Man announced.

"Wait." A familiar voice rang out.

Bomber Man appeared behind Prism Man.

"Hmpf."

"An "Asteroid"!" Misaki exclaimed.

Bomber Man tried to punch Prism Man: he ducked and dodged and he then jumped away, to Bomber Man's surprise.

_You don't know that you're facing the Net Navi who could easily tackle Gravity Man head-on._ "K. S." grinned.

"Battle Chip, Vulcan! Slot In!"

It did almost no damage.

"Futile, futile! How's this instead?" He exclaimed.

He took out one bomb and Prism Man gasped.

"Eat this!"

He kicked two bombs towards Prism Man: he rolled across the ground and dodged.

"Battle Chip, Prism! Slot In!"

Prism Man launched the prism into the air and shot at it with one of his barrel guns: the multiple bursts of energy made Bomber Man shield his body so Prism Man took advantage of it to jump and slash him: he left quite a visible cut on his torso and the Operator gulped.

"Operator!" He called out.

"Huh!"

"The "Dimensional Chip"!" He commanded.

He fled and materialized right next to Misaki.

"What!" He gasped.

He kicked the wheel chair and Misaki hit the floor while having the PET on hand: the "Asteroid" walked over to him.

"Needle Man!" A familiar voice announced.

_Could that be…?_

A steel shutter stopped Bomber Man: Misaki heard rushed walking and spotted Yuriko there.

_Wow! They meet again after three months! _

"You're…!" He exclaimed.

"Call the Science Labs and request a "Dimensional Area"."

"What?" He wondered.

"Hurry up!" She rallied.

Bomber Man's right hand broke through the shutter and started to rip it in two: Yuriko picked Misaki and they ran out.

"Hikari – hakase!"

Yuuichirou and Meijin replied to Misaki's transmission.

"Misaki – kun!"

"Please! I need a "Dimensional Area" right now!" He requested.

"Eh… But Netto hasn't yet…"

"I'll explain later, sir! Please, sir!"

"I-I understand!"

The "Dimensional Area" formed around the hospital.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! Cross Fusion!"

Yuriko and Needle Man performed "Cross Fusion": their design hadn't been altered by the new PET system: "CF" Yuriko and Bomber Man jumped into the rooftop of the hospital.

"Clear Needle!"

"CF" Yuriko took out a needle on one arm and tried to stab the "Asteroid" by attacking quickly and leaving no time to react: Misaki exited into the rooftop to have a look.

_Get rid of that savage._

"CF" Yuriko jumped but Bomber Man gripped the needle arm: "CF" Yuriko tried the other arm but Bomber Man gripped it as well.

"I'll make mincemeat of ya just like this!"

"CF" Netto jumped to the rescue from behind "CF" Yuriko and he shot the "Asteroid" on his face thus distracting him: he let go of "CF" Yuriko.

"Battle Chip, Sword!"

Bomber Man used his thick right forearm to block so "CF" Netto jumped to the ground and stood ready: "CF" Yuriko watched from a distance and Misaki walked over to her.

"Oozono Yuriko… As I'd guessed: you're alive. You even brought me to this hospital?"

"I just wanted to pay for the chagrin. Back then… When I lost consciousness, I sank towards the depths of the sea but you helped me… If you hadn't pulled me up, then I'd…" She told him.

There was some noise and Misaki eyed "CF" Netto who had resorted to punch Bomber Man on the stomach.

"It looks like they're going to get kicked. See you, Detective – san!" She calmly told him.

"Yuriko!"

Playing deaf, "CF" Yuriko jumped over the rooftop's railing and into the street.

"I've still got something I want to ask to you!" He called out.

Bomber Man was weakened.

"Charge Shot!"

"GRA~H!"

The attack obliterated him with ease.

_Phew! Another savage got defeated… Good!_

19:13 PM (Japan Time)…

"… That one's the criminal Operator?"

The police took away the man who'd been given Bomber Man.

"Indeed. He said he was a banker."

"A banker?"

"He intended to make use of the bank's money, and, to avoid being suspected, he had the "Asteroid" destroy the deposits of other banks as well since the usage of that money would eventually be detected. It'd seem that he'd inputted money into some unstable new-house-construction-plan."

"Huh… He looked silly. Right, Misaki – san?"

"Ah? Yeah…" Misaki replied while looking absent-minded.

_And now let's drop by the "Neo WWW", who have been pretty quiet ever since the satellite hijack plot…_

"We've finally managed to gather the last one too. I'll praise you. Father."

Tesla was speaking with her father and there was a row of strange capsules placed in front of them.

"I'm glad to be useful, Tesla! These things flew away in countless broken fragments when the giant Twilight robot's explosion… Having to gather them was difficult!"

"All that's left is to see if we can regenerate one of them from this group of 5 units. And if we could… True… If we could create my own "Synchro Chip" then…" She formed an evil smile.

_What! So Gauss Magnets managed to pick up the fragments of the 5 "Synchro Chips" Cousin used three months ago…! And they're intending to rebuild one for Tesla Magnets to use… And if she could then the number of persons who can use "Cross Fusion" would rise to 5… This could be dangerous even…! Che! And the "Schemer" names them clowns? They're a real threat! But in the end… Justice will win! Showdown!_


	11. Chapter 11: Terrible birthday present

**Chapter 11: Terrible Birthday Present**

19:18 PM (Japan Time), Sunday September the 6th…

"Darkness… I'd be better if the skies cleared up a bit…"

Yuriko was standing in front of building's entrance to shelter from the rain: she looked at her feet and saw a small white cat standing there, so she smiled.

"You, too, are a loner?"

The cat meowed.

_Let's check on the "Neo WWW"… We've been rather busy these last days ever since Ms. Yuriko's re-emergence! The Maha Niiban staff moved back here but Sunayama staged some incident… A trip to Choina to gain some medicine for a panda in which they re-met that Miss Jasmine… Some crazy stunt by Narcy Hide trying to crackpot a Gabcom Inc. game and all in which the Navis dressed up. It was amusing to see Mr. Hikari Sr. as the groom and Miss Roll as the bride… And the "Schemer" didn't show up yet he seems to have spread his campaign to all major French cities… Why does he want that much money, anyway?_

"K. S." looked on from his car at the inside of the "Neo WWW" HQ: there were sounds of a celebration and there was a big poster with Tesla's photo set on the wall which had a message written just over the lower edge of the poster.

"8 days left until President Tesla Magnets' Birthday."

The number "8'"was colored red and set on a square: Gauss Magnets reached out for it and tore it off, revealing a "7" beneath it like if it was a calendar.

"We are now starting the party of the seventh remaining day before the Neo WWW's President Tesla Magnets' birthday!" He announced.

"Yay!"

_So! Next Sunday is their birthday. _

Tesla was sitting on her usual armchair and sipping some wine.

"Congratulations, President Tesla!"

"Thank you. Alright, guys. Let's have plenty of fun."

The table was filled with all kinds of dishes including what looked like a cake recreation of the Neo WWW HQ.

"… That's cool! A "countdown party" stretching the whole previous month… As expected from the "Neo WWW"." Inukai commented.

"Today is the 7th previous day. So it's the birthday e-e-e-e-e-e-eve." Saiko chanted.

"So then? How many years will Ms. President…?" Narcy began but Sunayama cut him off.

"Chut! It's too dangerous to ask that!"

_Ah, yes. They're the egoistical types who want to believe they're always young and all and they don't age. _

Tesla was distracted sipping wine.

"By the way… You guys… Aren't you forgetting about something?" She smiled.

Saiko, Sunayama and Narcy quickly stood up, to Inukai's surprise.

"T-these are our offerings…"

Saiko glared at Inukai with a reprimanding look and he also stood up: they all looked somewhat worried, for once.

"Here you have a ticket to eat a bowl of rice at the station…" Sunayama placed a ticket to enjoy a 100 – yen bowl of rice.

"This is a home-made mass with grilled fish…" Inukai left a pot with what looked like eels on a brownish mass.

"I have these three Dabutta candies..." Narcy placed three blue and white small capsules.

"Three sweets similar to those candies…" Saiko put three candies on the table.

"_What_ are these?" She wasn't amused.

"Today's presents, ma'am." Sunayama tried to look confident.

"These rags are presents for me, you say?" She demanded.

"But… _Boss_! We're getting to the edge! We've been giving you presents every day ever since a month ago!" Inukai pleaded.

"Our wallets are empty!" Narcy also was pleading.

"Would Ms. President like something else?" Saiko tried to ask.

BLAM!

Tesla brought a fist down on the table.

"They're but trash! They don't bring joy to a _lady_! They don't have any merit! JEEZ! Who'd said that…?"

However, Gauss left a box in the table and Tesla stopped, surprised.

"Congratulations, Tesla." He announced.

"This is…?"

A "Synchro Chip" was inside of the box: its design looked identical to those Netto and Enzan used.

_Ah! They did it: they restored one of the original "Synchro Chips"! _

"I finally managed to complete one of them using materials from those broken five we had." He announced.

"… True…! Finally…! This was the present I really wanted…! I will praise you. Father." She smiled at him.

"I'm happy that this makes you rejoice, Tesla!" He sounded emotional.

"As long as I have this Chip… I'll be able to get my earnest birthday presents. It'd seem it'll be a lovely birthday! Heh, heh, heh!"

19:51 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday September the 8th…

"Ah… Not those many customers today, either, de masu… Guess I'm being unfortunate, de masu…"

Higure was closing down his store: there was a blue flash behind him and he panicked when seeing Beast Man there.

"A~h! It showed up, de masu!"

"Groa~h!"

"Beast Man has appeared on Densan Town Commercial District! Netto – kun! Go handle the field!" Meijin reported as he set up the "Dimensional Generator" from the Science Labs.

"Roger, Meijin – san!"

"_S__an wa iranai_!"

"The Dimensional Area has formed… Hmpf." Inukai muttered.

He eyed three simple Chips (Met Guard, Recovery 10 and Mini Bomb) he had on his right hand and he then heard rushed footsteps.

"It'd seem Hikari Netto is comin'… Beast Man! The rest is up to ya!"

He ran off at the same time Netto entered the scene.

"Stop right there, Beast Man! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION! I'll protect the city!"

"Wild Rush!"

"CF" Netto dodged with ease.

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun! Slot In!"

"CF" Netto did not see how a fireworks rocket shot skywards and it exploded: Beast Man eyed the signal.

"That guy, huh? Heh. Have at cha, Rock Man!"

"He retreated, you're telling me! This is the 3rd serial day!"

16:29 PM (Japan Time), Wednesday September the 9th…

"… You look sleepy, Netto. You've been sleeping during the break!"

Netto walked back home with his friends and his teacher: he looked like he hadn't gotten that much sleep: Meiru looked worried.

"But it can't be helped, see… Having to go evening after evening to chase the Neo WWW guys when they're attacking the city ever since a while ago… That's why."

"Last evening (Tuesday) was Beast Man, the day before yesterday (Monday) was Flash Man and before that one (Sunday) it was Desert Man? Chu?" Chisao listed.

_It's rather weird, though. Retreating right after showing up and not putting up a brawl… Yesterday they merely stole three bargain Chips from Higureya._

"I wish they weren't so persistent! What the hell do they want?"

"Maybe it's a strategy to have Netto sleep-walk? Chu?

"It may be a strategy to make you sluggish, even…" Meiru ventured.

"Don't joke around… Mariko – _sensei_! What should I do…? I'm on quite a pinch! Huh?"

Mariko looked troubled, however.

"Huh? Hey! Did you hear me? Mariko – _sensei_?"

"Huh? Ah… Sorry. What's up, Netto – kun?"

"Mariko – _sensei_…"

"What's wrong, _sensei_? Chu?"

"You do not seem to look very well…" Meiru said.

"Truth is… I keep on dreaming about Yuriko every evening as of late." She sighed.

"Huh?" Both Netto and Meiru looked surprised.

"She has saddened eyes… That girl… It looks like she's wandering alone… I wonder if it's some kind of twin linking… Because she wants to be along with "onee – san"… I feel like she wants to meet me, too… Heh, heh, heh… I'm pretty stupid, really… Yuriko isn't in this world anymore to begin with…" She muttered.

"Mariko – _sensei_…" Netto looked worried.

_And to think Yuriko appeared on Misaki – san's hospital that day when I battled Asteroid Bomber Man… She's alive._ Netto commented.

_But we're not supposed to say anything yet, otouto…_

"Hey… Niisan…"

"What, Netto – kun?"

Netto was speaking with Saito while at home that evening: Saito was inside of the PC and looking out to speak with Netto.

"If she knew Yuriko was alive, then… Mariko – _sensei_ would rejoice, right?"

"That's right… But Manabe – san told us not to speak about it yet… Since we still don't know where she is or what she is doing..." Saito replied while looking uneasy.

"Guess that's it… I wonder where Yuriko is right now…" Netto muttered while glancing at the ceiling.

_Dunno._

Yuriko had bought some milk for the cat she'd found the other day and she looked uneasy as she sat on one of the public park's benches: she then picked the cat and walked away.

"… Okay! There are only four days left until Tesla's birthday!" Gauss announced that same evening.

"Yay! Congratulations, President Tesla!"

"Okay! Let's start tonight's party too. Narcy! Do the honors." She commanded.

"Leave it to me! Video Man! Let's come out! Yahoo!"

A "Dimensional Area" was formed upon detecting the "Asteroid": Netto got to the scene and panted.

"That was a rather quick appearance. I'll be your opponent tonight."

"An opponent doesn't make a run for it! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Netto "Cross Fused" and wasted no time.

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword!"

"CF" Netto sent a sonic boom towards Video Man while the fireworks exploded in the sky.

"What I claimed was a lie!"

He fled before the Sonic Boom could hit him and it hit some bushes instead.

"Ah! They did it again!" "CF" Netto complained.

"… There are only three days left until Tesla's birthday!"

"Yay! Congratulations, President Tesla!"

"Heh, heh, heh…"

And so, "CF" Netto faced Desert Man during the evening of Thursday September the 10th.

"Battle Chip, Boomerang!"

The fireworks appeared.

"Uoh… I'm going back…"

"DON'T LEAVE JUST LIKE THAT!" "CF" Netto yelled: he still had the boomerang pending to be shot.

"… There are only two days left until Tesla's birthday!"

"Yay! Congratulations, President Tesla!"

And such, "CF" Netto stood still in front of Flash Man on the evening of Friday September the 11th without doing anything.

_Heh. So the clowns wanna play with you guys… _The "Schemer" was looking on from a nearby rooftop.

The fireworks appeared: Flash Man looked there and so did "CF" Netto: Flash Man took the chance to flee and "CF" Netto looked on.

"Hey… HEY, YOU! I BOTHER TO DO "CROSS FUSION" SO PUT UP SOME FIGHT BEFORE FLEEING!" He yelled with obvious anger.

"… Bargain Day Chips… _Bonsai_… A tuna… A toilet… These items have been stolen by the "Neo WWW" members during these days. Thanks, Rock Man."

Manabe listed some items as she read the data being displayed by the PC on the morning of Saturday September the 12th.

"Meaning: unknown. Ma'am." Rock Man announced.

"What do those guys have in mind, anyway?" Netto grumbled.

"There doesn't seem to be any other clues. They're quite worthless." She frowned.

"It's not so simple!"

Misaki was standing in the office's threshold and using a crutch to lean his body.

"Misaki – san!" Netto greeted.

"How good! Have a look as well, Netto – kun."

He brought up a CD with his investigation: it showed a district map with several spots.

"This is…?" Manabe requested.

"A compilation of the break-in incidents which occurred within the "Dimensional Areas" at the same time the "Asteroids" were being contained…" Misaki explained.

"It's true. It's almost like the "Asteroid" appearances were prepared beforehand." She realized.

"A jewelry store, an antiques shop, a painting shop, and the High-Class Brand Shop… Several break-ins with pickings of items have taken place and it's believed to be the work of some band of thieves…"

"We hadn't realized until now…"

"Couldn't these be mere coincidences?"

"Who knows?" Manabe replied.

"… There's only one day left before Tesla's birthday!" Gauss announced.

Netto faced Beast Man in the park that same evening.

"I won't do "Cross Fusion"! 'Cause you end up running away!" He told him with an unimpressed face.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Beast Man chuckled.

Tesla managed to perform "Cross Fusion" in front of a museum.

Her "Cross Fusion" design was very unique: her hair had had to be compacted into four sphere-like shapes popping out behind her helmet, which was composed of a round red circle protecting the top of the head and the forehead: a plain red face-mask covered her mouth and nose too while the ear-pads remained unchanged.

Partial white armor resembling that of Magnet Man's shoulders covered her shoulders and extended until the elbows: the main emblem was set just where the neck's base ended.

The bodysuit had a blackish drawing across its height and extended until the waist: it was rather simple in design.

White cylinders covered her forearms and white "gloves" shielded her hands' skin: these cylinders were also unadorned and plain enough.

Her legs and lower waist were covered by a thin black "skin" and she had simplistic red-colored heel shoes on her feet.

_Oh. So they can do "Cross Fusion", eh? Intriguing. _The "Schemer" looked on using a pair of binoculars and grinned.

Tesla broke into the museum but Yuriko saw her.

"Plug In! Needle Man, Transmission!"

She sent her Navi into the Cyber World via a public telephone.

"Needle Man! Survey her!" She commanded.

"Roger!"

The signal appeared on the sky.

"Strategy: over, huh? Have at you!"

"Hey… HEY, YOU! DON'T JUST RUN AWAY! YOU'RE TIRING ME OUT, YA KNOW! _BAKA~_!" He yelled in frustration.

The walls of the museum were devoid of their canvas as Misaki, Manabe and Netto chatted with the security guards.

_Hum! I've been following Rock Man but until now I hadn't spotted the connection between the "Asteroids" and the robberies… Let's hope we've got some eyewitnesses' accounts today… _Freeze Man sighed.

"Is that true? A woman transformed and stole off the canvases?"

"Yes, sir. We saw it with your eyes."

"It has to be Yuriko. She's the only one capable of doing that." Manabe thought aloud.

"Did you say Yuriko?" Netto asked.

"The "Asteroids" act as decoys to force us to deploy "Dimensional Areas". And it'd seem that they then perform "Cross Fusion" and carry out the crimes." She exposed.

"True! If we're talking about ladies who can do "Cross Fusion", then…"

"I can't believe it… Yuriko has joined the "Neo WWW", then, and her soul has once again been possessed by a Demon?"

19:49 PM (Japan Time), Sunday September the 13th…

_It came! The decisive day!_

The countdown cardboard was thrown into the ground and a bigger one appeared showing a half-body upwards photo of Tesla along with the message "President Tesla Magnets' Birthday: Congratulations!" written on its surface: a triumphal music sounded in the room.

"President Tesla Magnets! We wish you a happy birthday!"

Tesla was surrounded by museum pieces she'd been robbing.

"Thank you! It's making me feel prideful!"

The members then showed the items they had robbed the previous nights.

"Hum…"

Sunayama showed her the toilet.

"The birthday presents…"

Saiko had the fish, Gauss the _bonsai_, Narcy the bargain Chips and Inukai a cloth.

_You call those presents? Oh come on. _"K. S." inwardly groaned.

"Unnecessary! Since I can get anything I want... As long as I have this "Synchro Chip"…" She calmly replied.

She held it with the fingers of the left hand and it shone.

"But! What I truly wish is… It ain't jewelry or paintings. These incidents we've staged insofar were training to perform "Cross Fusion". I'd like to deliver a big shock to those interloper pests of Hikari Netto and Rock Man by my own hands." She explained.

She kissed the "Synchro Chip" all of a sudden.

"That's the birthday present from me to myself. Heh, heh, heh…"

_I don't like the sound of that. At all!_

20:11 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Mariko…"

Yuriko was standing in a rooftop somewhere while holding the cat and still looking uneasy.

"… Come out! Hikari Netto!"

Video Man appeared and began to cause havoc a while later.

"Dimensional Area: Activate!"

Meijin deployed it and Netto made it to the scene.

"Stop right there! Video Man!"

"So! You came! Hikari Netto! We'll settle the score tonight!"

"As ya wish! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Misaki and Manabe eyed the situation while hidden in nearby side alley: Manabe carried the "Battle Chip Gate" just in case: Netto "Cross Fused" and Video Man grinned.

"Whoops! Don't be so hasty, don't be so hasty."

Video Man held his palms out.

"Truth is: I won't be your adversary."

"… Huff…! That's my motto! Show your ugly hide… I know you're close by… Yuriko~!" "CF" Netto called out.

"Aren't you somewhat impolite, boy?" Someone half-obscured by a street light and standing nearby announced.

"Huh? Ah!" "CF" Netto frowned.

Misaki and Manabe inwardly gasped.

"To the end of mistaking the person…"

Tesla walked into the middle of the street and stood besides Video Man with a smug smile on her face.

"Y-you're… Tesla!"

The two Net Police members were surprised.

"It's Tesla, he says!"

"It isn't Yuriko, then!" Misaki exclaimed, surprised.

"It's been a while, right, Hikari Netto? I've come to get my present!" She let out.

"Present? What are you talkin' about?" "CF" Netto demanded.

"Today's my birthday. And, to celebrate that, I'm going to make you scream A LOT." She announced.

She took out the "Synchro Chip" and he gasped.

"Oh! That's….!"

"A "Synchro Chip"!" Saito finished for him.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Tesla and Magnet Man can…!" Saito gasped.

"They both can use "Cross Fusion"?" Netto was baffled.

"CF" Tesla appeared on the scene.

"I'll make sure that you don't oppose the "Neo WWW" twice. Mag Ball!"

She threw it towards "CF" Netto, who gasped.

_Let's check on Ms. Yuriko._

Yuriko walked up to an apartment building and she eyed an open balcony: she then somehow climbed up there and she eyed Mariko, who was sleeping in her bed: she turned to leave after a few seconds.

"Meow…"

"Sshh."

"Wait!"

Yuriko turned to see Mariko, who was crying.

"You're alive… I'm so glad…" She muttered.

"You seem to be fine as well… Sister." Yuriko sounded resigned.

And "CF" Netto was struggling and trying to dodge "CF" Tesla's attacks in the in-between.

"Mag Missile!"

"Flame Tower!"

Manabe was assisting "CF" Netto but "CF" Tesla took the blunt and emerged mainly unscratched.

"Hmpf."

"It didn't take effect!" Manabe gasped.

"In that case… I'll fight back! Battle Chip, Vulcan!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Wind Cutter!"

"CF" Netto barely dodged by inclining his body backwards.

"It'd be troublesome if you forgot about us!" Video Man told him.

And that wasn't the only piece of bad news: Beast Man, Flash Man and Desert Man were also present: their Operators were grouped on two pairs standing atop two different buildings.

_Oh come on! THAT'S COWARDLY! _"K. S." was annoyed by now.

_Hah! That herd of clowns… Do they really think they can win? Against the very men who brought down "Nebula"? Let them try and fail! Your desperate tactic is nothing. _The "Schemer" looked on too and was rather amused.

_Che. Herd of savages! Time to have them taste some medicine! _

Freeze Man materialized his invisible diamonds which plunged into the bodies of each "Asteroid", who inwardly gasped: Freeze Man then formed a smug smile.

_Your strength has been cut down by 19%!_

"Heh, heh, heh… You're a cornered mouse." Sunayama commented.

"This will be our fair and honest battle ring. I won't let you escape! Mag Ball!"

"Battle Chip, Aura!"

"Lion Head!"

_Otouto! Behind!_

_What?_

The attack hit him from behind and he skidded across the ground.

"What's "nice and honest"! It's a wild five-on-one, ain't it?" He cursed.

"Shut up! Neon Light!"

Misaki and Manabe were safe for the moment but things were spiraling out of control.

"Yikes!"

"Huh! Netto – kun!" Misaki yelled.

"… Have it."

Yuriko was still within Mariko's apartment and she eyed the cat: Mariko offered her some hot tea.

"Yuriko… You're lonely." She told her.

"Huh?"

"Even if trying to redeem from your sins… You still had something which you had to. So that's why you can't meet with the others for now… It's useless to hide it! Aren't we twins?" Mariko reminded her.

Yuriko, after looking surprised for a moment, smiled.

"If you're lonely, then come again whenever you want to. Feel free to make me glad. Right? And…"

"Onee – san…"

There was a flash followed by the sound of an explosion: Yuriko eyed the "Dimensional Area" bubble on the city and walked out into the balcony.

"Yuriko? You're leaving?" Mariko asked.

"I've made you be glad enough already."

"… Lion Head!"

"Wild Rush!"

The two attacks hit "CF" Netto.

"Heh, heh, heh! It'd seem the party is about to start!" "CF" Tesla claimed.

"T-that's unfair… Tesla!" "CF" Netto cursed as he looked up from the ground.

"What would be left to the "Neo WWW" if we weren't unfair?" Narcy taunted.

"If you just want to win then it doesn't matter what tricks or methods you choose to use!" Saiko proclaimed.

"Spark Arm!"

"YA~H!" "CF" Netto yelled as he was electrocuted.

"The final blow… Hikari Netto!"

She took out a Long Sword Battle Chip before she performed a fancy acrobatic maneuver and headed towards "CF" Netto, who was barely managing to stand in a crouched pose.

"Netto – kun!"

Manabe was frozen in place as "CF" Tesla jumped towards "CF" Netto, but however, someone blocked the attack: "CF" Yuriko did.

"W-what!" "CF" Tesla was baffled.

"Ah! That's…!" Misaki was surprised.

"Who the devil are you?" Tesla demanded.

"I'm a cat which is hunting birds!" She mocked.

She pushed "CF" Tesla away and walked to in front of "CF" Netto.

"Yuriko… It's really you, Yuriko!" "CF" Netto was relieved.

"I'll draw Tesla away so you go and take care of the "Asteroids" instead."

"I get you!" "CF" Netto acknowledged.

"Don't screw around!"

"CF" Tesla tried to shoot a Mag Missile but both dodged: "CF" Yuriko jumped in front of Misaki.

"Yuriko…!" He gasped.

She smiled and jumped away.

"Yuriko!" He called out.

Mariko was sitting on her bed and hugging a digital camera.

"Yuriko…"

"… Magma Cannon!"

The attack forced Video Man to retreat: "CF" Yuriko blocked with her needle arm "CF" Tesla's sword.

_Hmpf! You didn't include that Woman In Black in your calculations, you spoiled CEO girl! _The "Schemer" taunted.

"I eliminate whoever gets in my way!" She claimed.

"Heh, heh! Why don't you try taking a closer look?" "CF" Yuriko giggled.

"CF" Tesla looked surprised: "CF" Yuriko kicked "CF" Tesla away and hit a building's wall while leaving a considerable dent on it.

_Ow. That gotta hurt. _"CF" Netto glanced at that.

_Leave girls to settle things their way._

"Why don't we end this already? Two "Crest" owner fellows battling each other… You're acting according to Duo's intentions!"

"Huh… Don't say non-sense stuff! I won't forgive you anymore! N – S Tackle! HRA~H!" She formed a blue-colored "bunshin" of her.

"If you don't get it, then… You'll quietly remain at home until you understand that!"

"CF" Yuriko jumped skywards just as the two "CF" Teslas were about to attack him: they all jumped into the air.

"CHARGE~!" They yelled.

"Heh, heh!"

The two Teslas tried to attack "CF" Yuriko: she simply broke the swords.

"T-that's… Impossible!" She gasped.

"CF" Tesla fell to the ground and the division canceled: she reverted out of "Cross Fusion" too.

"Battle Chip, Tornado, Variable Sword!"

"CF" Netto turned into a tornado and shot an amplified Sonic Boom: the other three "Asteroids" were beaten: the four members were astounded.

_Hah! What did I say? Those herds of clowns can't stand up to them and their "allies"… You're nothing compared to the true "Darkloids"!_

"I can still… fight…!" Tesla muttered while struggling to get up.

CLONG!

Someone hit her on the back of the head with a frying pan: Gauss was the culprit.

"Oh…! Tesla…! It had to end like this…! On your birthday! On your birthday! Farewell!" He exclaimed as he held her.

He jumped into an open manhole and put the lid back on.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" "CF" Netto found it hilarious.

06:09 AM (Japan Time), Monday September the 14th…

"Yuriko…"

Misaki called out to Yuriko as she was giving them the back.

"Don't come." Yuriko told her.

Misaki stopped while looking worried: Yuriko turned around and smiled.

"Let's meet again." She announced.

"Oh! "Meet again"…?" Netto muttered.

"Detective Misaki… Do you think that she…?" Manabe asked him,

"Yeah. She looked totally relieved." Misaki smiled.

"… I wonder what the devil happened… What was that sudden blow in the form of a beating objecting which landed upon my upper skull…?"

Tesla was grumbling while holding an ice bag over her head.

"Ah! Tesla! It'd seem that you've begun to over-think about what happened!" Gauss smiled as he removed the birthday decorations.

"… The woman who was granted Duo's genes: Yuriko…! I'll remember this…! I'll definitely return this humiliation to…!"

The ice bag broke and water flooded her head.

_Hah! You're turning into a clown, you spoiled woman. Keep the show up but eventually I'll put an end to it… Or else you'll steal me the glory and that won't happen… I, the "Schemer", am telling you that!_

The cat was sleeping inside of Mariko's apartment: the table now had a photo of Mariko and Yuriko together set on top of it as if to signify their long-awaited re-encounter.

_Well! The gentlemen saved the day somehow. Ms. Yuriko is now going to side with us, it'd seem… That's good to know! And Magnets has gotten a lesson which they'll never forget… Heh, heh, heh! Well. The coming days will be interesting… Plot away, "Schemer"… You'll be defeated!_


	12. Chapter 12: The safecracking man

**Chapter 12: The safe-cracking man**

08:04 AM (Japan Time), Thursday September the 24th…

_Let's check on our gentlemen…_

"K. S." parked his car near Netto's house and then brought up the footage of his camera: he could see Netto rummaging the room for something and Rock Man calling out from inside of a locked drawer.

"Otouto! Netto – kun! Reply!"

"Huh… Where is it at…? Huh… Not here, either…! Huh… Ah…!" Netto muttered as he rummaged some boxes and shirts.

"Otouto! Have you found the key?"

"Useless, useless! I can't find it!" He exclaimed.

He rummaged a pair of pants and its pockets: the key wasn't there.

_Otouto sure has bad luck when it comes to this stuff…_

_Hum. Bad luck, I guess… Anyway! We had the affair at Sharo Nation of "Asteroid" Air Man and their rampage: Princess Pride was discovered to own a "Crest" too… Next was "Asteroid" Bright Man trying to hijack cars but they ended up being defeated too… More recently… Mr. Meijin recreated the "Rush Synchro Chip" Shade Man formed in the past and Ms. Sakurai was finally able to perform "Cross Fusion" bringing the total of members to… Six. Well not bad. Five are on our side so we could all tackle the "Neo WWW" one-by-one and emerge winning. _

He sighed and leant backwards while distractedly rubbing his nose: he then tapped the upper edge of the driving wheel.

_And in the meanwhile… In Salt Lake City…_

"K. S." brought up a new screen showing a standard Navi which was standing inside of a cyber tunnel and staring at a program in the form of a prism having circuitry inside and two concrete ends which was set inside an alcove: it was reminiscent of a "Dimensional Converter" but it obviously was something else.

_I did well on tracking these guys: Mr. Ijuuin is interested in hunting them down. And I'm not sure what that program does or why do they want them but that can be figured out._

A man with a PET II plugged via some cables to the telephone lines eyed the screen from his spot in the real world's sewers: he looked on his late 20s and 30s, had plenty of messy black hair and grayish irises.

He wore a simplistic green sleeveless vest over a white shirt, a pair of jeans and shoes.

"That's it. Retrieve it." He commanded.

"Roger."

Blues was racing down the virtual sewers and he was using a map to navigate.

"You still don't know the location of the criminal? Blues?"

"I am currently exploring. He seems to be using a special access method to intrude." He reported.

"A special access…? What does that mean?" Enzan asked.

"They're seemingly using a trick to avoid being picked by the intrusion detector yet… Their methodology seems to be old-fashioned… I've checked it up. I'll forward the information." Blues calmly detailed to Enzan in the meanwhile.

He scanned when he ended up in a nexus of paths: he located the access point and ran towards there: he found the Navi who was trying to retrieve the program there.

"The "Net Saviors"! You're arrested for the crime of illegal access!" He claimed.

"They mean to have us pull out! Beat that guy!" The Operator commanded.

The Navi drew a Sword Battle Chip while Blues took out a Neo Variable Sword Battle Chip instead.

"Groa~h!"

Blues easily dodged the _amateur_ attack.

"It'd seem that you won't negotiate." Blues smiled.

A bright light filled the tunnel all of a sudden.

"What?" Enzan wondered aloud.

The Navi's Operator was seeing a strange silhouette forming on his PET's screen.

"Who the heck are you?" He demanded.

It was Slur, as usual.

"Use Duo's power if you want to escape from this tight spot."

Blues faced Slur levitating above the ground inside of the tunnel.

"You're Duo's…!"

He tried to launch a Sonic Boom but it was deflected by a barrier and Blues barely blocked the returning attack.

"It would be preferable if you would not get in my way."

She turned to the other Navi and moved a hand while expelling a spontaneous ring of white energy: "Asteroid" Drill Man formed there on the spot.

_Devil. So they can show up in person now to hand out "Asteroids" instead of doing remotely… Maybe Duo wants them to study the architecture of our Network? _

"His name is Drill Man. His power will become yours." Slur calmly told the man.

The PET II ejected a "Dimensional Chip" and the man picked it just as Slur fled like a normal Navi: Drill Man assumed a combat pose.

"An "Asteroid"!" Blues cursed aloud while half-crouching on the ground from the earlier countered attack.

"This guy's one of those "Asteroids", then… I'd heard the rumors 'bout 'em and it'd seem they were true chatter." The man muttered.

A light momentarily blinded him and he eyed the "Net Savior" hologram: Enzan was there and illuminating him by using a flashlight.

"The "Net Saviors"!"

"W-what? How did you know out I was here?" The man gasped as he shielded his eyes.

"Looks like I've got no time to spend on you lowlife. My bad!" Drill Man announced to Blues.

Drill Man compacted into two drills and headed inside the alcove where the program was located at.

"Wait!"

Blues ran towards him but Drill Man had already drilled the ground and taken the program: the wall in front of the criminal collapsed thus revealing a tunnel so the man jumped inside it since it really was a connecting tube leading to another level of the sewers.

_Crap! They fled!_

Some rocks fell behind him thus stopping Enzan from chasing him and having to cover his mouth with one arm so as not to breathe the dust: the man ended up in another level of the sewers.

"Phew! Saved…" He muttered.

_Back at Japan…_

"I'm going to rescue you ASAP, niisan!"

Netto took out a tool box and rummaged inside of its structure.

"Will this be okay? Otouto?"

"Yeah! I'll be able to do something with this!" Netto announced.

He took out an adjustable screwdriver-like tool.

_So! Let's see what Mr. Ijuuin finds at the Net Police HQ…_

Enzan was typing in a computer and looking for info on the criminal he'd been chasing: Detective Hunter walked over to him.

"Have you found out anything? How's the follow-up of this illegal access case going like?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. There's no doubt that this man is the criminal."

"Rat, huh?" Hunter muttered.

_Oh yes. Those two protruding teeth looked like a rat's ones…_

"He's a Network criminal who is reported to handle data falsification and illegal accesses. He was arrested four years ago. He had a 3-year sentence. He managed to break out barely two weeks ago." Enzan read.

"If it's about the guy, then I know plenty of stuff… He lingered in the down-town before capture and acted pretty much alone."

"I've been researching into his cracking characteristics, but… It'd seem that there's no register."

"Characteristics…?" Hunter asked while frowning.

"His petty access key tricks were old-fashioned stuff. Thanks to them he could exploit specific access points." Enzan pointed out.

"Old-fashioned… He wasn't the type to go and do something that complicated…" Hunter frowned as if finding it off.

Enzan tracked something with the PC and ended up in a location downtown.

"Down-town, huh?"

He unplugged the PET and stood up.

"I'll go out for a while."

_Good. Let's check on that man: I had another agent track them and I want to know what their game is…_

A crack had been made on one wall and a special piece had been plugged into the phone and data wiring apart from those which the phone and Internet connectors had.

"What exactly is this thing about?" Drill Man asked.

"One program which can open any type of lock… They're the biggest of legends. A magic program, see. I only need to retrieve another two of these and then it'll be completed." Rat explained to him.

"Magic?" Drill Man asked next.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… You're gonna dome some work, Drill Man… The next storage point is…"

Rat brought up a map.

"… In here."

_Back to Mr. Ijuuin…_

An IPC limo was parked in front of an apartment block: Enzan rang the bell of a door and Raoul opened the door a bit without taking out the security chain.

"I've been waiting for ya, Enzan."

He removed the safety chain and let him in: both of them walked into the humble living room.

"It's true that before being captured Rat used to be active around this area, Raoul?"

"Yeah. So it seems!" He replied.

"What were his tools?"

"He wasn't the type to stick his face out but…"

Raoul walked into another corridor and disappeared inside of a room: he then popped half his body into the room from the corner.

"I've got one decisive piece of information."

"If we already know it then… Let's get there ASAP. Our opponent has gotten an "Asteroid". We've gotta catch him before he stages a new incident." Enzan calmly suggested.

Raoul disappeared and he emerged a second later with his "disco" outfit.

"OH, YEAH! That's more like it, Brother!"

"No. This time around there's no need for disguises."

"_WHAT_? And I'd bothered to change and all…!"

He waved his arms and legs in a comical fashion before stopping.

"Let's not rub on that, Brother."

The limo navigated around the district a few minutes later.

"Besides… We don't know Rat's goal. The data he stole was but a piece of something stored in the Cyber World."

"Hey, Enzan… Don't you think that it'd been better if we'd come disguised?"

"It we're talking about the building per se then it's one of those brick wall buildings with rather damaged pieces of wall…"

"Hum. I still think we should've disguised to come here…"

They got into the apartment block where Rat had his abode and broke it but they only found a half-disassembled computer, an LCD screen, and a keyboard as well as a pile of dirty dishes and small pots on the sin: the window was open.

"Che. It looks like he's fled the place."

Enzan, however, was intrigued by the two unplugged wires in the Internet slot and the phone wires.

"What's wrong?" Raoul asked.

"Rat was using this same identical access method in the previous affair as well." He muttered.

_Number 2: tell me what the sneaky man is up to._

Rat had managed to plug into the telephone lines using the wires somewhere else.

"Do it, Drill Man." He commanded.

"Tunnel Crusher!"

Various holes appeared on the Cyber World: a building in the real world shook and some items inside sunk into the earth.

_Che!_

Enzan and Raoul were trying to find out info about Rat's goals in his computer when Enzan's PET beeped: it was Detective Hunter.

"Enzan – kun. That guy's on the move." He reported.

"Where are they at?" Enzan asked.

Another building was sinking as Drill Man made his way through several walls: he headed for a big wall.

"It's beyond that gate!" Rat instructed.

Drill Man broke through it thus emerging on another Cyber World.

"Hooray!" He exclaimed.

"It expected it from an "Asteroid"! Their power is higher!" Rat sounded satisfied.

"Guess so!"

Drill Man approached another program identical to the one they'd gotten earlier.

"That's it! I've found it. Retrieve it, Drill Man." Rat commanded.

"Roger!"

Drill Man drilled the base around the program and left with it: Blues and Thunder Man appeared on top of a nearby platform.

"Ack. We were too late!" Blues cursed.

"He ran away again?" Raoul was infuriated.

"We can't predict his actions like this. We've gotta hurry and close on his goal, or else…" Enzan muttered.

_Well. Let's check on the house next._

"… What should I do? I won't be able to take the PET out of the drawer like this!" Netto cursed.

"Can't be helped, otouto… You should be getting to school already or you'll be late!"

"Gra~h! Jeez! What the… It won't open!"

_And in foreign lands…_

Raoul and Enzan were inside of the Net Police HQ: Hunter was typing into the computers and trying to find info.

"I've got it! This method is… Jackass! The safe-cracker!"

"Jackass ? The safe-cracker?"

"Yeah! He's now imprisoned but it's this man."

He brought up photos of the criminal: they looked on their 40s or 50s and had purplish hair and brownish eyes.

"It's a history of over twenty years ago, but… By using a program designed to open all kind of Cyber World locks… He stole electronic money of both banks and deposits. The number of affected institutions was way over a hundred… It was a case which forced Ameroupe to evolve. By using a special access method, Jackass intruded the Network and gave the police of back then several headaches: they had a hard time getting a hold of his identity from what it'd seem."

"What's this wiring?" Enzan signaled a schematic.

An image of the system Rat had used on his apartment showed up next as if to put it clearer.

"I see! To avoid them detecting his access location he jacked into the usual accesses!" Raoul realized.

Enzan looked surprised, however.

"However… Is that a coincidence? That the trick is the same which was employed 20 years ago…" He wondered.

"We're gonna need to figure out the linking between Rat and Jackass."

"They're linked."

"Huh?" Raoul was intrigued.

"There's just only one prison in this city." Hunter let out.

"Huh!"

"Then…!" Enzan grasped.

"That's right. Rat and Jackass were interned on the same prison!"

_Oh! Bravo, Detective Hunter! We've got our link!_

The three members of the Net Police were sitting on chairs within the visiting room and facing a thick glass panel which had micro and a speaker set on both sides: Jackass (looking older than in the photo, having some traces of beard, and dressed in prison clothes) walked in and then sat down on a chair.

"Eh… This brat is an "Official"? Oh wait! They now name them "Net Saviors", right? Something which changed 'long the age... So? Whaddya want outta me by now?" He commented before asking.

Enzan showed him a photo of the plugged wires.

"Huh?" He seemed to recognize it.

"It'd seem there's guy out there doing the same as you did." Hunter said.

"You're supposed to be the guy who made that up. Spill it up." Raoul continued.

Jackass sighed and he began to explain.

"A program which opened any kind of key-hole and an access method that could not be traced… As long as I had both of 'em… I was invincible."

_A younger Jackass had used the same setup as Rat and then made the three programs appear inside of a cybernetic vault: a graph had displayed how the contents of the opened vault were transferred to him._

"I could make all Cyber World electronic money become mine. That was the intention I thought about back then."

"_Heh, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"_

"I had a lot of luck, really. And I finally got cocky. I tried to get my hands on Ameroupe Army Data."

_The programs had accessed a database somewhere and begun to transfer the data to Jackass._

"_Heh, heh, heh! If I sell these… I'll manage hundreds of profits!"_

_Colonel had suddenly entered the system._

"_That's a well-made cracking device, but… But your crimes stop here."_

_Colonel had stopped the transfer._

"_Why is this guy there?"_

_He'd tried launching Trill Viruses to deal with him._

"_He's trying to buy time! How clever! Hra~h!"_

_Colonel had easily disposed of the Viruses and Jackass had grown nervous by then._

"_Huh! If I keep at it then they'll figure out my location!_

_He'd then aborted the transfer and tried to flee but he'd spotted police vehicles waiting on the outside when opening the window. _

"_Crap!"_

_The door of the apartment burst open and some riot control policemen entered. _

"_You're under arrest for the crime of illegal access!"_

_They quickly reduced him and apprehended him. _

"_Don't struggle!"_

_A commanding-looking man had entered the apartment. _

_He'd looked on his thirties and his eyes' irises were brown: he had some traces of a recently shaved beard too and jet black hair which reached past the neck._

_His overall height had been about a meter and ninety approximately._

_He'd sported an open jacket with brown patches of camouflage along with a gray jumper and jeans along with shoes plus a dog-tag hanging from his neck._

_His eyes had been dull and serious. _

"_Trying to go to the end of picking secret army information was your mistake."_

_Jackass had merely scoffed under his breath while the man had taken out a PET III and had called the Navi back. _

"_Come back, Colonel."_

"_Yes, sir!"_

"… Colonel?" Enzan was surprised.

"Yeah… They found out about my connection style in an easy manner…"

_THE Colonel… He was involved with the Ameroupe army twenty years ago, he says? It couldn't be! _

"… So? What happened to the cracking programs after that?" Raoul asked next.

"Nothing happened afterwards: they were left as they were! They've been left to rot and decay across the Cyber World!" Jackass shrugged.

"Did you tell Rat this story as well?" Hunter questioned.

"Rat? Ah. The chap who was interned here as well until a while ago, you mean to say? I told 'im! He happened to disappear not too long afterwards." Jackass admitted.

Enzan brought out the photo again.

"Did you teach him about this connection method, then?" He questioned.

"Yep. Because otherwise… The lock - breaking program won't be started up, after all." He confirmed.

"So that's how it is!" Raoul commented.

"But… Those programs are stuff over twenty years old… They're so old nowadays that they have no use! You'd merely consider them a mere cluster of data!"

"Not necessarily. Rat's picking up the pillars which you concealed and trying to emulate your teachings."

Jackass gasped.

"What did you say?"

"… You said that there are three of those pillars. Rat's acquired two of them. Where's the remaining one?" Enzan questioned.

Jackass scoffed: he'd obviously realized he'd talked too much and he'd gotten into a no-way-out-situation.

_Elsewhere from that gloomy environment… _

"… Oh! That's right! The spare key…!"

Netto had tried to pick the lock with the tool but it hadn't worked.

"If there's one then where did it get stuffed at?"

"If it's the spare key then Mama held onto it to make sure it wouldn't get lost." Saito replied.

"I see! Mama!"

Rock Man sighed as Netto ran out of the room.

"I wonder if it'll be okay…"

"It was there! It was there! The spare key was there!"

"Ah!"

"Wait just a second, niisan! I'll open it ASAP… UO~H!"

Saito firstly smiled when he heard Netto coming back but sighed when he heard Netto's cry of frustration.

"What in the…!"

The lock was totally crushed due to his futile attempts to break it.

"The key won't fit in there!"

He sighed in defeat and so did Saito.

_Let's check the Utah night…_

Rat was standing in front of a panel within a construction site.

"There's only one left. Once I get the pillar in 'ere then I'll become as famous as a billionaire! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Go, Drill Man!"

Rat plugged him into a control panel.

"It's in here, eh? Tunnel Crusher!"

Some steel beams fell from the half-built building: Drill Man blasted a wall and got into the area where the program was located.

"Heh, heh, heh… I've easily found it… Huh?"

Blues and Thunder Man appeared.

"Drill Man!"

"Ya ain't running away this time! Thunderbolt!"

"Gwrah!"

Blues attacked with his Neo Variable Sword.

"You again!"

"Stop this pointless streak of destruction!" Blues commanded.

"Shut up! There's no hole the great me's drill can't cut through!"

They broke apart.

"Triple Hole!"

Two drills appeared.

"Sonic Boom!"

The attack destroyed the two drills.

"Blow those up in one blow! Drill Man!" Rat commanded.

"Trash, trash and trash!"

Rocks fell from the ceiling but Blues and Thunder Man avoided them.

"Drill Driver!"

He compacted into a drill and summoned another two thus blasting the two "Net Saviors" out of his way.

"Hmpf. I'm somewhat busy!" He mocked.

Part of the building was collapsing as Raoul's car stopped nearby: Enzan and he climbed out.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Super Vulcan! Slot In!"

"Super Vulcan!"

The machine gun hit Drill Man and was followed by a slash performed by Blues.

"Thunderbolt!"

Three electric attacks hit the "Asteroid" head-on!

"Battle Chip, Long Blade! Slot In!"

_I'm late for the show. My bad. _

Freeze Man looked on as Blues jumped and dived towards the opponent: he hit him with both blades and Drill Man fell into his knees.

"What are you doing? Stand up! Beat 'em to a pulp right away!"

"Stop right there!"

Enzan and Raoul walked into the scene.

"Ugh. The "Net Saviors"…"

"I won't let the "Asteroid" run loose anymore!"

"Curses! I only needed another one…!" He hissed.

"If you use "it" then ya will win! I mean the "Dimensional Chip"! I'll keep the dudes over 'ere busy! Virus! Tricky Hole!"

Various Viruses with drills attacked the two "Net Saviors": Rat slotted in the dreaded Chip and Drill Man materialized so both "Net Saviors" gasped in surprise.

"Leave this spot to me. Go! Blues!" Thunder Man told him.

"Yeah! I'm counting on you, Thunder Man!"

"Lion Thunder!"

Thunder Man got rid of the Viruses in the blink of an eye while Enzan and Raoul dodged the "Asteroid" at the last second.

"We need a "Dimensional Area"!"

"Dimensional Area: Engage!"

The "Dimensional Area" formed around the building.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Enzan and Blues "Cross Fused" and got ready to fight.

_Beat that savage. But I'm picked: I heard that of Colonel being active as far as 20 years ago… I know the army is always ahead of the times but I'm surprised they've developed such a resilient Net Navi…_

"Triple Hole!"

Two drills shot towards "CF" Blues but he used a Sonic Boom to deflect them: he then used an Area Steal to dodge the falling steel beams.

"There!"

He stabbed a wall thus revealing Drill Man: he'd been using an invisibility trick.

"Don't think you'll break the great me's drill so easily! Tunnel Crusher!"

A hole appeared underneath "CF" Blues and Drill Man shot skywards out of it: he hit "CF" Blues and sent him flying.

"This is the final blow!"

"Battle Chip, Curse Shield!"

The shield blocked the "Asteroid" and he was kicked backwards, breaking out of compact form.

"I'll go and beat you to a pulp!"

"… The same thing over here! Battle Chip, Wide Sword!"

"CF" Blues brought up two swords and started to fight the "Asteroid" while blocking his attacks.

"Just go to Hell already! Drill Driver!"

"CF" Blues dodged the other two and slashed the back of the "Asteroid": he roared in agony and fled.

"Drill Man!" Rat gasped.

"He ran away?" Blues wondered.

Drill Man got back into the computer system.

"Phew…" He muttered.

Two electric bolts suddenly hit him and he roared in pain.

"Don't even dream of running away!" Thunder Man exclaimed.

"Ugh…"

Drill Man was barely managing to half-stand.

"Thunderbolt!"

"GWRA~H!"

Drill Man slowly recoiled and hit the program: an electrical frizzling was triggered and he was deleted.

_Good job._

The program suddenly started to shine and it got Thunder Man's attention: the other two programs inside Rat's PET did the same thing.

_Huh? What's happening?_

A kind of light emanated from them and it spread onto the real world like an aura: rows of lockers and cars opened alone as if per magic.

"… Ngh! This guy…!"

Netto hissed as he tried to pull the drawer open.

"Otouto… Why don't we give up on it and ask Papa to give us a hand?"

"Nngra~h! Ge~h! Hnnnn!"

The magic dust fell over the drawer: there was a click and the drawer opened: Netto was shot into the wall and landed on his bed.

"Ouch! It opened…! Ah! It opened! Saito – niisan! Hah, hah! I'm so relieved! I feared the worst! Hah, hah!"

Netto firstly looked bewildered but wasted no time on picking the PET III and hugging it.

"Otouto… Be careful! You must pick a proper place to store the key at to prevent this from happening!" Saito scolded.

"It's okay! Since I've got no more key-using drawers…!"

"Ah, eh… That's not the problem, but… "

_Another foolish man has been beaten._

Rat was taken away while Enzan, Raoul and Hunter looked on.

"… Have you heard it? Some story about a strange phenomenon occurring across the world..." Hunter was telling Raoul a while later.

"Yeah! It'd seem that all kinds of keys and locks suddenly opened at once without anyone touching them." Raoul replied.

Enzan, however, looked dead serious as he stared at the night sky.

"A magic program which releases all locks…?"

_The "Colonel" Jackass mentioned… I'll need to properly research into it. _

He closed the window and locked it.

_Well! _Case Closed_! But I'm surprised about this talk about Colonel: just who is he? He's an autonomous Net Navi from the Ameroupe Army, but has he really been in service for 20 years? 20 years… Before 1985… The Macintosh had just come out by then… The Network had barely begun: it was still a rather unimportant system used by the Pentagon and developed by DARPA… But even so… _"K. S." was reflecting inside of his car.

He then glanced at the balcony to see Netto out there leaning on the handrail and looking towards the car: "K. S." smiled at him and waved the left hand as he tossed his PET III in the passenger's seat and turned on the car: he slowly moved away.

_I am sorry but I believe it's better if I didn't stick around you gentlemen for too long… I need to secure another front in the meanwhile and I don't want the "Schemer" to do something in the underground while I'm not checking on him…_

"… Did you see it, Saito – niisan? It really was that mister! He was there, in the car!" Netto was telling him.

"Yeah… He's so mysterious, really… Too much, even…"

_I don't know why but I suddenly got a strange feeling… Like something bad is about to happen… I just felt a shudder go down my spine…!_


	13. Interlude: Inherited Program Light Dark

**Interlude: The Inherited Program of Light and Dark**

06:14 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 3rd…

"…Eternal "Dark"…"

Forte was slowly drifting across the depths of the Reverse Cyber World, apparently in a coma-like state, given how he was muttering to himself, as if he was in a dream, and his azure jewel was shining in an intermittent manner on and off: he was rotating across his axis too in a slow manner as if he was a drifting asteroid.

The place seemed to have been designed to emulate outer space and the lack of gravity (the decoration was a replica of outer space) and large circuitry boards slowly drifted and rotated across the space too: it seemed to be very vast and unending.

"Ruled by loneliness and despair… The Reverse Cyber World… Not a place for the sacred ones… A cybernetic graveyard…" He muttered.

Various pieces of data started to flee from something: a purple light the brightness of which was increasing by the second glowed close by.

"What is this incredibly huge energy…?" He wondered.

It was powerful enough to wake him: he stopped and realized that he was floating above what looked like a huge purple mass of burning energy: some of it was leaping "skywards" as if it were dancing fire.

"What!" He gasped.

He managed to get into an upright position and hovered away from the mass while he opened his cloak.

_How did I end up here? How long have I been here? What the hell is that thing? _

A shape, a face, formed on the purple mass, yet it didn't seem to have any traits save for big exaggerated eyes, nose and mouth: it wasn't intended to be too perfect but just to form the overall form, more like a skull.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"You lowlife!" Forte cursed as if he'd recognized it.

… _Huh… That voice…! Let devil bite me if I don't know to whom it belongs to…! Huh? Something's coming!_

A monster suddenly formed out of the mass.

Its main body's shape looked strikingly similar to the Alphabet letter "T" with the base having three pale blue diamond-like formations aiming NE and NW on each side of it: four large metallic chains came out from inside of the vortex and attached to the purplish mass which was the upper body.

The thing's head had an irregular shape as it was made up of reddish mass with white patterns drawn over it: two red eyes missing any iris shone on the face while the mouth area was colored blue: giant teeth filled the open mouth which uttered inhuman roars: a thin large diamond object was set on the forehead, too.

Six needles colored blue and with a small blackish stripe near the base of them emerged from behind the shoulders: they had an eerie vibe to them and looked sharp.

The monster's hands looked more like claws than real hands: they were colored in a reddish tint all the way to the start of the forearms: two cuffs seemingly made of metal with an inner blue band and lacking chains were visible on the monster's wrists.

It emitted an inhuman roar and gripped Forte with its hands as it loomed out of the spiraling and shape-shifting mass.

_Grah! Let go of me, you ugly thing!_

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

_Let go of me! Hell! Why won't my power flow out? My body feels slow and… Ugh… My consciousness is fading away…! What the hell is this about…? Ugh…!_

_Become my pawn and bring forth destruction! Foolish Net Navi!_

The city of London was busy with people going up and down.

_Let this prideful metropolis be filled with terror and fear!_

A strange and small purple circle with some patterns drawn inside formed in the street and a thin beam of light began to shoot upwards in a sudden manner.

_It's started!_

The pedestrians had just taken notice when the size increased tenfold and expanded into a huge column of light which moved at a crazy speed.

_There's nowhere to run off to!_

It cut through buildings and swallowed anything on its path: it stopped after a while and vanished as quickly as it had appeared just as the Big Ben's clock handles signaled four in the afternoon and it began to chime.

_Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah!_

The people looked in horror: there was only an unending abyss left on the beam's wake the walls of which were colored blue and looked cybernetic in nature: and, when seen from afar, it drew a gigantic shape across the city's body.

_I've gotten news of something happening and I find THIS. What the hell is this? Duo's newest handiwork…? A new form of "Earth Erasure"…? He's run out of patience?_

Freeze Man had gotten a hold of the news already and he was looking at helicopter-recorded footage.

_It didn't even last 2 minutes and did this much damage? That thing's speed must be brutal! Maybe the Science Labs will know what this thing is about? I should head back to Japan. _

Freeze Man sighed and had his diamond enter a hi-speed transfer lane to flow back into his base: he landed there and came out of the diamond while looking worried.

_What's going on? _

08:17 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Let's go! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Netto, Dekao, Meiru, Hikawa and Chisao had gone to the amusement park to take part in a Net Battle tournament.

_So! It's begun._

"K. S." had mingled amongst the public and was looking at the scene with some amusement.

_That opponent's name is Foot Man…_

The opponent Navi, Foot Man, was not a very though opponent even though he could divide himself into three copies: they looked just like a football player with the suit and helmet: the match was finished with the Giga Cannon Program Advance.

"Winner! Hikari Netto a~nd Rrrrrock Man!" The presenter exclaimed through the microphone.

_Heh. As expected, gentlemen._

"We did it!" Netto exclaimed.

"Incredible! Chu!"

"Good work!" Hikawa added.

Meiru hugged Netto to congratulate.

"You did it, Netto!" She told him.

"Hey! Netto! Whaddya ya think you're doing to _my_ Meiru – chan?" Dekao complained.

"But I'm not doing anything…" Netto protested while trying to shake Meiru off.

"Tomahawk Swing _and_… Tomahawk Rolling!" A familiar voice yelled close by.

_Aha! That's Mr. Dingo: Tomahawk Man's Operator._

Dingo was a young man who was surely younger than 15 years old to begin with.

His eyes' irises were brown and his hair was reddish in color: he had two narrow white stripes below his eyes stretching outwards.

He wore a bandana with green diamonds over a brighter green background, some white decorative pieces at the end of his hair strings, a navy blue hood and a blue handkerchief having a red edge and small white straws of silk coming out of its edge.

The rest of his clothes were a blue jumper with long sleeves having some kind of drawing stitched over the lower edge of the jumper: he also had shorts of the same color on him and wore sneakers colored brown and lush green plus having gray soils.

Lastly, he carried some beads tied into a string attached to the right lower edge of his jumper and three reddish feathers with a brownish end to them.

Overall he seemed to be of Indian Ameroupe affiliation.

_And there's Mr. Tomahawk Man._

Tomahawk Man was a Net Navi shaped like a native Ameroupe Indian and who struck as being slightly over a meter and sixty tall.

His face had two red triangles painted on the lower edge of his cheeks and aiming towards the center of it: his eyes' irises were brown and he had a youthful face.

His head's helmet had a red piece over the forehead which also extended downwards until the star of the nose with two white patterns facing opposite directions having a drawing reminiscent of the Alphabet "P" letter set on it.

Two small extensions ran down the sides of his head and they looked like a Native Ameroupean's hair decoration colored white, orange and red: a larger hair decoration piece with the same color combination spread left and right of his head.

His upper body was protected by armor colored in an azure coloring: His shoulders were spheroids using the same color palette: his short arms without elbows and having black "skin" emerged from them.

His emblem was a simple silhouette of an eagle colored white as seen from the front and with the head tilted towards the left and set against a black background with a metallic edge.

Armor covered the wrist and forearms with yellow discs set on the wrists at the start of them: his right forearm had a large tomahawk built into it as explicitly stating why he was named _Tomahawk_ Man to begin with.

He had a thin azure belt around the waist and one piece of armor protecting the legs until the start of the knees: it was shaped like a rectangle aiming downwards: the edges were colored brown and a brown "X" letter was drawn on the center of it and set against an azure background.

The armor over the legs, starting just below the knees, was colored azure as well and it had a curious design: the outer edges had three brown rectangles a small pyramid aiming south drawn into them plus a thin line running down vertically along its length.

His feet were simple brown pieces with the end of the leg armor (which, when seen side from the side, looked like a rectangle with a triangle aiming south) fusing with them midway across their length.

"Tomahawk Swing!"

Tomahawk Man swung his weapon: a spiral of wind travelling across a cylindrical air shaft flew across the field and hit his opponent, who had to shield himself as he recoiled.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

Tomahawk Man swung across the air and landed atop a totem's head before using that as a base to jump into the air and start rolling like an armadillo while setting the air around his body in red burning flames: the Navi hadn't had time to recover and the blow landed on him causing some flames to spread upwards from the point of the impact.

"Guoh!"

He was kicked into the air and forced to "Log-Out" before he could hit the floor.

"Winner! Dingo_ a~nd_ Tomahawk Man!"

"Yessir!"

"Dingo did it, too!" Netto commented.

"Yeah! If it was him, it was obvious and - HEY!"

Dekao had been distracted and focused again on quarreling with Netto.

"GET AWAY FROM MY MEIRU – CHAN!"

_No, no… Mr. Ooyama… Ms. Sakurai has an honor to protect. And that claim of yours was way too rude. They had never said they wanted to be… Hum… Ahem… Well. Your girlfriend, right?_

The group walked around the amusement park: Chisao sported a pink-colored version of his usual shirt and jean-style shorts.

Hikawa wore an open white and blue vest over a navy blue shirt and brown jeans.

"So this Japan's Thousand Amusements building… I see! I was obviously thinking of a wholly different scale." Netto commented.

"It's huge! Chu!"

"It's really amazing!" Dekao exclaimed.

"Let's go check out other stuff apart from Net Battles! Since we've still got some time before our match…"

Meiru checked her wrist watch.

"True! Since we've come here to check it out, anyway…"

"Okay! We'll go to the eating contests! Let's go!"

Dingo dragged Dekao along.

"Whoa! Meiru – cha~n!"

"See you later!"

"Don't forget our meeting point!" Hikawa reminded them.

"Don't get lost!" Netto told him.

"Meiru – cha~n!"

A roller coaster passed nearby and they heard a yelp which sounded familiar.

"Is it me or did I hear Higure – san?" Hikawa asked.

He wasn't wrong: he and Shuuko were riding on the roller coaster.

"I'm so happy! This is funny!" Shuuko exclaimed.

"LEMME GO, I'M GONNA DIE DE MASU!"

Higure realized they were upside down.

"MARIKO – SENSEI~!"

His PET III fell towards an artificial lake just below.

"Yamitarou~!" Number Man yelled.

The PET fell into the water: Netto and the others walked around and ended up in the middle of a gathering of fans from one sci-fi show.

"By the way… It looks like we've wandered into a bunch of aliens..." Netto whispered to Hikawa

"Oh. That's because this event hall holds a convention for a popular sci-fi show." Hikawa replied.

"There are lots of die-hard fans!" Meiru added.

"Warning, warning!" Someone disguised suddenly announced in front of them.

The person was wearing an odd helmet and had some kind of machine on its hands.

"Enemy alert! Enemy alert!"

Netto and the others looked on, puzzled.

"I'm counting on reinforcements! I'm about to engage in battle!"

The person stopped and began to take out the helmet.

"I was just kidding!"

The person was Mariko.

"MARIKO – SENSEI?" They all asked, baffled.

_Oh my. So they have other hobbies apart from _onsens_…_

"What's written here? I'm Hyo Khan!"

"Hyo Khan?" Meiru asked.

"From _onsens _to sci-fi…?" Hikawa asked.

"You sure have a lot of hobbies…" Netto looked surprised.

"Amazing! Chu!"

The radio-like machine Mariko was holding beeped.

"This is the Space Armada Leader…!" She began saying.

_Next is another prideful metropolis… _

A tanker was navigating near the coast of a country when the deadly beam appeared and headed for the tanker: the crew couldn't react in time.

"What in the…?" One uttered in horror.

It cut the tanker on half and created a fissure through the water before it entered the mainland and split into another two.

_Cower in terror and fear, you foolish humans!_

Between the three of them provoked the same destruction it'd done in King Land but in an even larger scale.

Seen from a height, the carvings seemed to be carving some kind of figures which somehow resembled the so-famous Nazca Lines in the South Ameroupe continent.

_Let's check with the Science Labs… _

Freeze Man got into the Science Labs and spotted how Meijin was talking with Dr. Hikari about these phenomena.

"This is imagery from Ameroupe, sir. The same phenomenon happened in King Land about thirty-eight minutes earlier… It's a large-scale de-materialization phenomenon." Meijin reported.

"Amplify the imagery." Dr. Hikari commanded.

"Roger."

"The de-materialized spots have been transformed into cybernetic data…"

"Into cybernetic data…? How do you know that, sir?" Meijin asked.

"Wait… Please switch to satellite image." He requested.

"Yes, sir. Please wait just a moment." A scientist announced.

"Do you have any suspicions?" Meijin inquired.

"It couldn't be… There's no way it could be…" He muttered.

_Huh? Some technology which is being misused? Then this isn't Duo's handiwork but some human's work? Not the "Neo WWW"… Those idiots can't use anything more complicated than the robot they used a few days ago when Magnets went mad from those "WANTED" notices having her age printed there… She's mad with being told she's on her 30s and Gauss altered one notice to put 29 years old instead. Stubborn woman. Why deny reality? You're in your 30s. Like it or not. Hmpf. _

"Here it is."

He gasped when seeing the giant figures: part of them had been carved into the Europe continent and the recently attacked spot was a large chunk of Ameroupe's Eastern Coast.

"Almost like giant algorithms…" Meijin commented.

"… "_Spectrum"..._" Dr. Hikari hissed.

"…"Spectrum"…?" Meijin was surprised.

_So that's the name of the technology? _

"The "Wily Program" has begun execution!" Dr. Hikari exclaimed.

_W-Wily Program! Wily's done this…? Or it's a discontinued plan of his which someone is taking profit of?_

Netto was looking at a display from a movie inside of the amusement park along with Chisao, Hikawa and Meiru.

"What an amazing destructive force, chu!"

"That's true!" Hikawa added.

Netto's PET beeped with the typical "Net Savior" call ring-tone.

"Netto – kun! Otouto!"

"Jeez… Just at the most interesting moment… What's up, Saito – niisan?"

"There's an emergency call from the Science Labs. I'll connect it."

Yuuichirou appeared on screen along with Meijin.

"Papa?"

"Netto! Saito! You two must get to Trident Tower ASAP!"

"Trident Tower? Where is that at?"

"The famous IT Connections Company… TRINITY Brain Inc.?" Rock Man asked for confirmation.

"That's right, Saito."

"You can see it from here."

_Oh true. I hadn't noticed that building before that. So it's owned by some company named TRINITY Brain Inc.? _"K. S." looked there.

Netto turned to the windows and eyed a building which was a tower with another three towers built around the central one: hence the 'Trident' name.

"What do you want me to do over there?" Netto asked.

"I'll explain later! Just hurry and get there!"

The call ended in a rather abrupt way.

"Hey! Papa!"

"An incident…?" Meiru assumed.

"I don't get it, but… I'm sorry: I won't be able to cheer on you. I'm sorry, Tooru – kun. Anyway! I better get on the move!" He told them.

"Seems like trouble! Chu…"

"Good luck!" Meiru waved good-bye.

"Good luck to you guys as well!" Netto added.

_What's going on?_ Saito wondered.

Dr. Hikari was typing madly into a computer.

"Send me the info about TRINITY Brain Inc., please."

"Yes, sir."

"…"Spectrum"? I've heard rumors about it, too… But… Does it really exist? The rumors say it could freely manipulate the Cyber World and the real world. And that "Wily Program"… What's in TRINITY Brain Inc., anyway?"

_Rumors? Freely manipulate both worlds? And it's connected to TRINITY Brain Inc. somehow? _Freeze Man wondered.

"Save that for later, Meijin!" Yuuichirou replied.

"Hikari – hakase! The dematerialization has appeared on Choina!"

Live feed of the phenomenon appeared: Dr. Hikari made a grimace and hissed.

"Even in Choina!" Meijin cursed.

_It's jumping quickly! _

"Is Netto over there yet?" Yuuichirou asked.

"That's…"

Netto was on board a taxi heading towards there but they'd gotten stuck in a bottleneck.

"What horrible traffic!" The driver looked baffled.

"Driver – san!"

Netto was nervous.

"It should have only been 10 minutes…" The driver muttered.

Netto was not the patient type.

"I'm getting off here. Thanks, mister."

He paid with the PET and climbed out.

"Ah! Sorry!"

He maneuvered across the stopped cars and skated towards the tower: a dragonfly quickly flew across the air to chase him.

_Let's see what's going on... But Dr. Hikari wouldn't be that impatient if it were the "Neo WWW" or an "Asteroid"… So that leaves us with… Slur and Duo…? Have they done something? _"K. S." wondered as he calmly looked at his PET III while walking away from the scene.

_Otouto! I'll guide you to a shortcut. Turn right on the next street. _

_O.K.!_

He turned and entered a side alley: he then jumped in top of the stairs' railing and descended this way: he flew over a box which was being carried by two men next.

"Sorry!"

He even went through an unused tube and skated along an unused drain: the PET beeped.

_It's Papa._

"Netto, Saito. Once you two get to Trident Tower, Plug Rock Man "In" into a TRINITY Brain Inc. computer."

"Plug niisan in?" Netto asked.

Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe entered the room in Science Labs, to Meijin's surprise.

"Commissioner Kifune?" Meijin asked.

"Listen up, you two. A large-scale de-materialization phenomenon is happening across the world by now."

"De-materialization phenomenon?"

"That's but a summary. I'll give you the details later! But in order to avoid the worst outcome… I need you two to destroy the "Hikari Tadashi Program" which is in the lowest floor of the TRINITY Brain Inc. system."

Dr. Hikari's words left Commissioner Kifune stunned.

"The "Hikari Tadashi Program"?"

"Grandpa's Program?" Saito wondered.

_First-timer. And what's a "de-materialization phenomenon"? Matter is being destroyed somehow? _"K. S." inwardly wondered.

"Are you insane, Hikari – hakase? Speaking of TRINITY Brain Inc., they are the most important hub of Japan's IT… That computer is the one proving the lifelines to all computers across the nation!" Kifune argued with Dr. Hikari.

"To stop bomb, you must first cut its device!"

Kifune recoiled, surprised by his outburst, along with Meijin.

_If the world can be saved then some sacrifices are needed, I guess…_

"To be able to cross TRINITY Brain Inc.'s firewall and destroy the program… Netto! You and Rock Man are the only ones who can do it!"

"We get you, Papa!"

"Count on us!" Rock Man added.

_Let's hurry up!_

Netto skated towards the tower while Meiru and Hikawa prepared for their tag battle.

"In the blue corner… Sakurai Meirrrru a~nd Rrrrroll!"

"Plug In! Roll, Transmission!"

"Wi~th… Hikawa Tooru and Ice Man!"

"Plug In! Ice Man, Transmission!"

Dekao, Chisao, Shuuko and Higure were cheering.

"Good luck, Meiru – chan!"

"Good luck! Chu!"

"Good luck! You two!" Shuuko rallied.

"You better win! De masu!" Higure rallied next.

Netto entered the lobby of the Trident Tower and dashed towards the reception desk while dodging the employees.

"Excuse me!"

He braked and leaned on the counter to catch his breath.

"What is the matter?" A clerk asked.

"I'm a "Net Savior". I need to use your console."

He flashed the hologram for a moment before plugging Rock Man in.

"Y-yes? Ah... Please go ahead." The clerk smiled.

The entrance was detected by the control center.

"There's an intruder in the system, sir!"

"We're starting the search!"

Rock Man jumped across the platforms and reached the firewall.

"Netto – kun! The firewall…!"

"This is the firewall which even the "Net Saviors" need a commission to access, huh… It can't be helped. Break through it! Program Advance!_"_

"Program Advance! Mugen Vulcan!_"_

Rock Man made a hole and spotted another section of the Cyber World.

"Good! Soul Unison, Gyro Soul! Slot In!_"_

_Ah! Time to see this new "Soul Unison"…_

"Gyro Soul" granted Rock Man the main design of Gyro Man and his yellowish armor.

The helmet was reminiscent of a pilot's helmet with the cyan blue shades covering most of the forehead and two flaps sprouting from the upper edge of the ear-pads.

The chest armor included some metallic flexible steel frames to hold into place and the spaces above and below the chest emblem had a brownish color to them.

His forearms' designs were cylinders with a white stripe near the start of them and dagger-like-shaped armor over his hands: a smaller scaled second armor was placed right over the part of the forearm before his wrist.

Regarding his boots, they included a piece of white armor with a small cyan cavity on their center over the knees, main cylindrical bodies with white stripes on their end, two short flaps forming from the sides of his boots with a vertical white stripe drawn across their half: the soils also had a white stripe spanning across their width on the middle of their length and ended in a red dot over his feet fingers: the soils were black and thick too.

The helicopter rotor came included as well, being attached to the back of his body.

_Intriguing! _

Rock Man turned on the rotor and began to fly into the new section: the technicians were nervous and panicked by now.

"The firewall has been breached!"

"We're activating the defense programs!"

"Defense program activation: confirmed!"

"Hey! Call the Net Police!" The Chief ordered.

"Chief! We've got a transmission from the Net Police."

"What? Connect them at once!"

"Roger! I'm patching it to monitor twelve."

"This is Kifune of the Net Police. Truth is: it's an emergency situation!" He announced.

Rock Man easily dodged the defense cannons with his "Gyro Soul" without sweating.

_Well! My Navi doesn't have a rotor but he can use the Jet Condor Battle Chip to fly across this area: and since those guns are more preoccupied with Mr. Hikari Sr. then…_

"This is going nice, Rock Man. There should be a tunnel which will lead you to the next system." Netto smiled.

"I see it, Netto - kun!"

"Go!"

"Roger!"

Rock Man passed through a ring made of several lights which suddenly activated and beeped: an electrical field formed some meters beneath him and it shot upwards.

_Otouto!_

"Battle Chip, Salamander! Slot In!"

Rock Man was merged with the fire dragon (cancelling "Gyro Soul" in the process) and shot downwards while shattering through the field: his progress was being monitored at the Science Labs.

_Hum. I'm still not sure what use destroying such an important program will have but I guess it's a necessary sacrifice if we want to stop this phenomenon from rampaging across the world. And, anyway, the Detective must be there by now. He'll handle the field. _Freeze Man was still in the Science Labs and looking on.

"Rock Man has crossed over the shaft's level eight." A technician reported.

"There should be another two floors left…!"

"Hikari – hakase!" One scientist yelled.

"What's wrong?" Yuuichirou asked.

"Another intruder is quickly approaching Rock Man!"

_Another intruder! Who are they? _

A blue/white/purple sphere shot down from above and hit Rock Man, dragging him to the end of the tunnel and into the next area, crashing and causing dust to fill the area.

_Che! I can't see anything with this dust. _Freeze Man grumbled.

_Luckily I decided to have my Navi wait before coming down there: I wanted Mr. Hikari Sr. to secure the pathway. _"K. S." sighed in relief as he looked at the tower from several hundred meters of distance.

Rock Man was leaning against some rocks which had been ripped off the ground from the explosion: he then opened his eyes and gasped.

"You're…!"

Forte was standing in front of him: his form was surrounded by a powerful wind and looking fierce.

"Forte!" Netto gasped.

"Why is Forte there…?" Dr. Hikari was stunned.

"He was, time ago, thrown into the Reverse Cyber World by Slur!" Meijin exclaimed.

_True! And "time ago" was over 4 months ago!_

Something was out of place with him: his jewel was purple and so were his eyes' irises: they looked devoid of life or intelligence.

_Is something wrong with him? _Freeze Man wondered.

_Mr. Forte! He's alive! But why is here? _"K. S." gasped.

"Forte…!" Saito muttered as he managed to stand up.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

Forte jumped into the air and took out two indented blades: his voice had slightly different tune to it as if he was speaking through a microphone or speaker.

"Battle Chip, Samurai Sword! Slot In!"

"Don't get in the way, Forte!" Rock Man yelled.

Forte jumped backwards and shot some purple orb which Rock Man managed to dodge.

"There's no time for this, Netto!" His father urged.

"Soul Unison, Search Soul!"

Forte yelled as he jumped towards Rock Man with two energy orbs on both hands: "Search Soul" Rock Man aimed for him.

"Scope Gun!"

The shot pierced Forte's chest and made a hole on the cloak: he, however, vanished.

_That's a new technique! But not time to admire! Where are they? _

"Ah! Behind you, Rock Man!"

Forte jumped behind him and Rock Man turned too slowly: the two "Hell's Rolling" wheels hit him and he fell to the ground: his "Soul Unison" reverted and he could barely move.

"Niisan! Battle Chip, Recovery! Slot In!"

Forte simply kicked him with one foot and he collapsed into the ground in face-down position.

"Niisan!"

Forte began to charge energy on his hands and made a small chuckle.

"Heh, heh, heh… Darkness Over…!"

He didn't get to finish as a familiar Navi icon appeared behind him and Colonel came out: he jumped out of the way and shot his attack at Colonel, who easily cut through it.

_W-w-whoa! Colonel! When did he…? _Freeze Man gasped.

_Colonel! Did they get a hold of this? _"K. S." wondered.

"Forte! You lowlife's opponent is me!" He claimed.

He started to clash his sword against Forte's Dark Arm Blades and both combatants landed on the ground: they struggled in the deadlock.

"You lowlife…! You've become a puppet!" Colonel realized.

Rock Man managed to open his eyes and gasped.

"Colonel!"

"Go, Rock Man! Destroy the "Hikari Tadashi Program"!"

"I get it! Thanks, Colonel!"

Rock Man ran into a tunnel.

"… Hakase! The de-materialization program has appeared on Densan City!"

"What?" He was astonished.

The three deadly beams were destroying everything on their path while carving the giant algorithm.

_Hurry it up, Rock Man! _Freeze Man grimaced.

_Crap! I gotta put some distance between me Trident Tower! The thing will head there: I've got that hunch! _"K. S." gasped and began to run away from the tower.

Rock Man entered the final area: a shining and huge program shaped like a trapeze stood there: it size was gigantic and it easily occupied a whole sector of the Cyber World: it seemed to be interconnected to other machines.

"This is…" Rock Man began.

"… The "Hikari Tadashi Program"!" Netto finished, being totally awed.

_No wonder Commissioner Kifune argued it was insane to destroy it! Can it be destroyed to begin with? _

"Netto! Rock Man! Destroy that program!" Yuuichirou commanded.

"Rock Man! Program Advance!"

"Program Advance!"

"Battle Chip, Sword, Wide Sword, Long Sword!"

The swords fused as the tunnel exploded with dust and Forte and Colonel got inside of the room: Forte glanced for a moment at the program but Colonel was keeping him busy: he seemed to be getting tired, even.

_If you haven't fought in 4 months then it's no wonder. _Freeze Man formed a smug smile.

"Dream Sword!"

The attack hit the massive program: the shock-wave hit and made some small cuts to Colonel and Forte, who stopped fighting, as the "glass" covering the program began to shatter up.

One of the beams was now reaching for the Trident Tower: it passed besides it and stopped before it recoiled and absorbed one of the clerks, to Netto's horror.

"ONEE – SAN!"

A huge column of light appeared within the Cyber World and it shot skywards towards a purple swirling vortex.

"What's this light…?" Saito wondered.

_Nothing good! _"K. S." inwardly cursed as he kept on putting distance between him and Trident Tower.

_The culprit? _Freeze Man wondered.

The column of light vanished and the vortex opened.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"What's that?" Saito wondered.

"That light!" Forte exclaimed.

Forte was clasping his forehead: the control over him seemed to have finished how his eyes' irises had returned to the normal coloring.

_So Colonel was right!_

"When I was beaten by Slur in battle… When I was wandering around the Reverse Cyber World… I met that light…!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The program began to levitate as it was being _stolen_ by the rift: the same monster from before appeared.

"…"Nebula Grey"…!" Forte declared.

"…"Nebula Grey"…?" Saito asked.

The monster roared and frizzled with power as it started to shine: Forte had lowered his arms and was just looking on: his forehead's jewel had returned to normal too.

"Too dangerous! Let's get out of here!" Colonel commanded.

No one hesitated and everyone fled: an explosion wiped the whole network area.

_Luckily I was looking on through the sensors! _Freeze Man sighed in relief inside of the Science Labs.

_I managed to "Plug-Out" just in time! Guess I'm close to 1 km away from there by now… I should be safe, I think! _"K. S." sighed in relief as he stopped to catch his breath.

_What the hell is "Nebula Grey"…?_

Netto was staring at a cyber wall in front of him and the destruction left behind in the Trident Tower when his PET beeped.

"We won, Netto!" Meiru was making the call.

The light beam was quickly approaching them.

"I did my best, too!" Hikawa added.

"And you know, I also…!"

She never got to finish: the beam cut through the building from the right and Netto's PET screen frizzled with static.

_What! Oh no! It couldn't be! It couldn't be! _"K. S." gasped in horror.

"Meiru – chan…? Meiru – chan! Meiru – chan! Can you hear me, Tooru - kun? Everyone! Please answer me! EVERYONE~!" Netto yelled in panic while his voice echoed in the air.

_By all the…! His companions got destroyed by that thing too? What was that thing? "Nebula Grey"? But… That voice… Don't I know it from somewhere? _Freeze Man wondered.

_It can't be, right…? Roll – chan and the others…? _Saito was frozen in place once he'd returned inside of his PET.

_It can't be…! Tell me it' a nightmare! This can't be! This can't be happening! Everyone…!_

11:55 AM (Japan Time)…

_Poor young man… Losing his beloved friends like that…! _

Netto was sitting on a bench and looked really crestfallen: his father walked towards him and sat down next to him.

"There's still hope. There's a way to bring back your missing friends and the city." He told him.

Netto looked at his father.

"Really…?"

Yuuichirou closed the right arm around him.

"Don't give up hope 'till the very end!"

"Papa…"

Netto leant on him.

_Oh! There's still hope! Thank goodness! _"K. S." sighed in relief as he sat inside of his car.

A vintage disc player was playing inside of an apartment somewhere: it was surrounded by a small Time - Space distortion similar to those in that crater in the Ameroupe desert and Barrel, Colonel's Operator (as described by Jackass some days ago), was looking out into the city.

"So you can't return to the future, then. Colonel!" He called out.

"Yes, sir!" Colonel confirmed.

"I'll be the one to go there next." The man announced.

_A conference… Now we'll get to learn what's happened today!_

Dr. Hikari was briefing the people present on the Net Police HQ: some men who looked like VIPs had come too.

"Twenty years ago… My father's, Hikari Tadashi's, research, consisted on linking human emotions and thoughts to the network. He developed a revolutionary futuristic model network system: "Spectrum"."

_Ah! So that's why he mentioned this word… "Spectrum" is the name of this system!_

"He thought of a freely living within Cyber Space by transforming the body into special data."

_Impressive! And we're talking about 20 years ago!_

"Have humans enter the Cyber Space?" Manabe asked.

"When I saw the de-materialization phenomenon… I concluded that the source was "Spectrum" by observing the patterns as the transformation into cybernetic data took place. "Spectrum" gains its strength through 2 programs…"

_A younger Hikari Tadashi (having abundant hair and a younger face without beard or moustache) and other scientists had been interacting with holographic screens displaying patterns on it and then studying a 3D model of a human body with algorithms forming certain patterns across the model's surface which were then amplified in the screens._

Yuuichirou brought up a screen with two columns on it titled "Hikari" and Wily", colored blue and purple respectively, and text began to scroll down their length.

"When you gather the "Hikari Tadashi Program" developed by my father and the "Wily Program" developed by Dr. Wily it'll be possible to fully start it up." He explained.

_So the name is a literal because Wily was involved in "Spectrum" too? Well. The WWW is a very recent thing. And apart from "raising" Yuriko and that other man, we don't know what he did before that. Hum. I feel the Detective. _Freeze Man realized.

"Dr. Wily, you say?" Kifune leant forward.

"Wily was one of the key "Spectrum" developers. Of course: this is a tale of a long time before he set up the Net criminal organization "WWW"…"

_So we're going to know something new about Dr. Wily. I see that Mr. Freeze Man's listening in too… _

"Hum." The public muttered.

_They feel like it reeks: they surely don't totally trust Wily to be on our side given his past actions at the head of the "WWW"… _

"However… Wily forcibly displayed how he was my father's opposite. He approached the Ameroupe Army with the project."

"He approached the Ameroupe Army?"

_A younger Wily (who had __with black slightly spiky hair bent backwards, thick eyebrows and a slight Poirot – like moustache back then) and had been wearing a simple jumper and pants was shaking hands with a high-ranking military office in a facility control center somewhere._

_There had been a viewing window displaying some tower rising in some inner yard: Wily had then spread out his arms and come outside to witness a tower being built inside of a large circular facility: two military jets had flown across the skies. _

"Wily was glad to go to any ends as long as there was a juicy payment involved. Even if it meant that "Spectrum" would become a tool of the army… With Wily's departure the project was abandoned and the "Hikari Tadashi Program" was installed in the back-then-sponsor's, TRINITY Brain Inc.'s, main system." He concluded.

_So Wily was very mercenary in that aspect. _Freeze Man concluded.

_Greed: no wonder. And the Army must've seen on it an overwhelming MAD weapon to wipe off Sharo from the face of the Earth if they dared to attack their mainland: we're talking about the Cold War years. "Spectrum" must've taken years of research and construction. The project could've begun in the early 80s but it eventually died on the late 80s because the Soviet Sharo system collapsed. _"K. S." reflected.

"So that's how it was… So that's why it was on that building?"

"The problem is that thing named "Nebula Grey", however…" Kifune warned.

"I do not know either what that thing is, either."

"_Nebula Grey"… "Nebula"! The evil organization which cooperated with the "Darkloids" and tried to rule the world 4 months ago…! Some left-over of "Nebula" which someone is taking profit of? Could the man Wily raised be involved? _Freeze Man spotted a connection.

"But I will say this… "Nebula Grey" is still incomplete."

"Incomplete? Why would that be?" Meijin asked.

"Father might've foreseen this kind of situation… And he decided to purposely leave the "Hikari Tadashi Program" incomplete. When "Nebula Grey" tries to achieve its complete evolution as it is permanently trapped within "Spectrum"… The de-materialization phenomenon will spread across the whole of Earth… And it would create an inversion of the space between real world and Cyber World… And Earth would be warped within a gigantic Cyber Space…"

He displayed a holograph of Earth becoming a cybernetic spheroid to then break up into data and vanish: the presents didn't display surprise but it was clear that they got the message: the two VIPs glanced at each other too.

_No wonder the Army would want that thing. _Freeze Man gasped.

_Devil. Armageddon brought forth by humanity. _"K. S." cursed.

"But! If we go for it now then we can make it on time! If we could destroy that "Nebula Grey" thing before it can achieve its complete evolution then Earth would be spared of the de-materialization process and be able to save those turned into cybernetic data!" He rallied.

_Good! Good! _

_Yes! That's what we need to do!_

"That'd return Meiru – chan and the others to normal, right?" Netto quickly grasped as he sat up and looked at Yuuichirou.

"Yeah. Commissioner. You should try locating the place where Wily carried his "Wily Program" experiments around 20 years ago. We should be able to access "Nebula Grey" from those terminals, sir!"

"I understand."

He nodded at the two VIPs for a moment.

"Manabe – kun."

"Yes, sir."

Manabe stood up and headed for the phone nearby.

"But, hakase… Even if you say it's incomplete… Is destroying that gigantic "Nebula Grey" thing even possible to begin with?"

Yuuichirou inwardly gasped and lowered his head: it was obvious that he didn't have a good reply yet.

"We'll definitely show you how we beat the thing! Right?"

_Saito – niisan? _Netto suddenly spotted that he looked down.

_Yeah… I was remembering something concerning Forte…_

_Concerning Forte? _

_Some time ago, Forte was targeting my "Ultimate Program". He said he wanted it to evolve into an even stronger existence… That's why… _He trailed off and lowered his head.

_What?_

_If we aligned my and Forte's "Ultimate Programs" then maybe we'd even be able to beat that "Nebula Gray" thing…_

"Don't say nonsense! If you lose the "Ultimate Program" then you'd disappear!" Netto scolded aloud.

"I know that, otouto, but…"

"Even if you did that…!"

The area suddenly rumbled and everyone gasped as "Dimensional "Converters popped out of various places.

"…"Dimensional Converters…"!" Meijin exclaimed.

_What! Oh no! Don't tell me it's that guy's handiwork! I should've seen it coming when I saw the monster thing! Heck! _"K. S." gasped.

_The "Neo WWW" don't have access to these either! _Freeze Man looked confused.

A beam of purple blinding light burst out of the middle of the room.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

Some data began to fuse and give way to a human's shape: Yuuichirou shielded Netto and looked towards there with a grimace on his face.

A man had appeared once the light dimmed

He had neatly combed blonde hair while his eyes' irises were crimson red in coloring: his face looked young so he probably wasn't older than twenty-five years old: he had almost no trace of facial hair to him.

He sported a plain black suit over a white shirt and a pair of black pants: his socks were black too and he wore brownish shoes.

"Dr. Yoru Yami!" Meijin exclaimed.

"Been a while! My _half-brothers_! However! My business is with Hikari – hakase…"

He walked forward and extended his right hand: Dr. Hikari gasped as some strange patterns glowed inside of his right eye's retina: his glasses suddenly hit the floor as the man grabbed Dr. Hikari from behind all of sudden by closing his right arm around his torso from behind.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

"Papa! Yoru Yami! Saito - niisan and I beat you back then!" Netto recognized him.

"Wrong! I managed to escape before the robot exploded! I then hid in the Reverse Cyber World and guess what I found there… The dormant "Wily Program"!" He exclaimed.

"What!" Commissioner Kifune gasped.

"I traveled to the "Spectrum" facility, abandoned ever since twenty years ago. And I installed the program into myself to become a new entity… I became the mighty "Nebula Grey"!"

"…"Nebula Grey"…!" Netto was baffled.

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…! You can't realize the scale of its power…! However! I am in need of Dr. Hikari here. No hard feelings!"

A column of purplish light formed on the air and spread upwards: the man began to hover along with his hostage.

"Papa!"

"Netto! Saito! Destroy "Nebula Grey"!" Yuuichirou yelled.

"Papa!"

Netto tried to reach out to him.

"Before it achieves its ultimate evolution…!" He kept on saying.

Their bodies began to slowly disappear and the burst of light lost thickness until it vanished altogether: the presents gasped in horror.

"Papa… PAPA~!"

_No way…!_ Saito gasped in horror.

Netto fell to his knees, stunned, and looked at the glasses which had fallen into the ground.

_The devil! Yoru Yami was alive! He escaped the robot and has been fusing with that thing over these 4 months! And he now wants to force Hikari – hakase to complete his evolution: since the program is incomplete he needs to finish it! Hell! _Freeze Man hissed.

_Che! So the Paris stunts and all were but distractions to make me think you just wanted to stick around and win time for a surprise apparition: you were aiming for this? Odd! Too odd! That woman wasn't interested in Armageddon: their business would be crippled! Something's out of place here… Cousin Yoru Yami! What are you REALLY up to…?_

13:19 PM (Japan Time)…

_I don't know why Airstair suddenly came to pick them up…_

Netto was riding on-board Charlie's chopper.

"Where are we going, Charlie? Tell me already!"

Charlie simply whistled in surprise as he apparently eyed the trails of destruction left behind.

"I've been hired: to deliver you, see." He admitted.

"By whom?" Netto questioned.

Charlie chuckled while Gyro Man appeared on the computer's screen.

"We'll be arriving within two minutes."

"O.K.! Gyro Man!"

They stopped on top of a half-built road bridge crossing over the bay and into the other edge of the bay: only the two initial segments were done and the central one was pending although the foundations were already there.

"Why would they have me delivered to this place of all ones?"

_Otouto! A plane's coming._

He turned to see a cargo plane descending.

"True…"

The plane missed him by inches and landed behind him taking out two parachutes to brake.

"Whoa! That was too reckless!" He gasped.

_No way that's "them"… They wouldn't use such stunts. No. This is someone else. _"K. S." thought as he looked on.

The cargo door opened and a familiar limo came out: it stopped next to Netto.

"Homona Airport was de-materialized, so…"

_Oh! Mr. Ijuuin!_

"Enzan!" Netto exclaimed.

"Let's go!" Enzan opened the door.

"…"Go"? Where to?"

"Don't say half-sleeping things… The Ameroupe Army base where Wily conducted his experiments twenty years ago…!" Enzan told him.

"You…?" Netto asked.

"My company has influences in the Ameroupe government, you know."

The limo climbed back inside and the plane used the bridge as a runaway to lift off: Enzan used a computer in a cargo bay – like room to pinpoint the place.

"Around the southern seas, without a name… They call it KA-222."

He brought up satellite imagery showing various buildings: one of them was shaped like a volcano.

"The island's center is the Ameroupe Army's experimental tower. It became shut down 20 years ago, after Wily experiment's failure. The abducted Hikari – hakase is probably there."

"Enzan – sama." Blues called out.

"What is it, Blues?" Enzan asked.

"We will soon reach the rendezvous point." Blues reported.

He displayed the trajectory of an airborne object in a small map as both flew across the ocean.

"I see."

"Rendezvous point?" Netto asked.

_They're going to mid-air rendezvous with someone? _"K. S." wondered.

A fighter jet flew towards the cargo plane and a hatch opened on the underside: the jet came in and was locked in place by two metal bars which held it from beneath the wings: a pilot came out.

"Netto!" The pilot greeted.

Netto frowned but the pilot removed the oxygen mask and the helmet, revealing Laika.

"Laika!"

"Enzan contacted me. Allow me to fight along you in the battle against "Nebula Grey"." Laika announced.

Netto was awed.

"All the actors have been gathered." Enzan declared.

Meijin, Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe eyed the live transmission within the Science Labs.

"With Enzan, Laika and I, the three of us will break into the base of "Nebula Grey" base."

Laika and Enzan were checking the hovercraft vehicle in the background.

"Wait, Netto – kun… I was just notified that a dispatched Ameroupe Army group sent to neutralize "Nebula Grey" was annihilated."

Kifune's words got the attention of the other two.

"The Ameroupe Army was?" Netto asked.

"I want you to return and rethink your plan once again."

Enzan walked towards the camera.

"If you allow me to interject, Commissioner Kifune… Before we can rethink our plan, the Earth could be wiped out!" Enzan interceded.

Kifune and Manabe gasped.

"Hikari – hakase was our "Cross Fusion" benefactor! We will definitely rescue him." Laika announced.

"And speaking of that… I'm counting on you to have the "Dimensional Area" ready, Meijin – san." Netto told him.

"Netto – kun. _San wa iranai._ It's O.K. if you leave the "Dimensional Area" up to me."

The Commissioner sighed and clasped his forehead while Manabe smiled a bit.

"The three of you better be careful."

"Thanks, Meijin – san!"

The transmission finished and the Commissioner turned to speak with his assistant.

"Manabe – kun: ready the search and rescue relief ASAP… "

"I understand." She confirmed, smiling.

"Jeez… What troublesome guy…" Kifune grumbled.

"Let's put our faith on them. We have no one else to put our faith on but those three." Meijin calmly told him.

"Meijin…"

"So that the "Dimensional Generator" will smoothly start up… Revise it up while we can!" Meijin ordered.

"Roger!"

"Bring some coffee too!"

"I need some _ramen_ too."

"Let's go have some knock-out _ramen_ once this is over!" Meijin suggested to the staff.

"YEAH!"

"Alright! Let's get to work!"

"YEAH!"

16:45 PM (Jakarta Time)…

_Huh…?_

The abandoned facility had a central tower built inside of the "volcano" and a glass dome covered it.

_Huh…_

Dr. Hikari awoke to find himself seated on a chair with restraints on his wrists and ankles: the room was wide and a focus was illuminating him from above, obscuring much of the surroundings: some strange machines could be seen nearby.

"Good afternoon, sir."

"Dr. Yoru!" Yuuichirou exclaimed as he looked around.

"I shall acquire power. Terror and fear will rule the world and I shall accomplish my mission. Oh! Do excuse me. I have not thanked you enough yet. Were it not for you, sir, I wouldn't have existed. You see my point, hakase?"

"How ironic! I don't have any knowledge of how to complete those remaining programs! And even if I did, I'd never cooperate with you lowlife! I'd rather prefer that you lowlife hadn't ever existed!" Yuuichirou shot back.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Regrettably… It is too late to stop me. I know where the remaining program is at. By the way… Even if you, sir, had not wished for it, I'd come to exist nevertheless. "Ice Queen – sama" would not let the chance slip by." He announced as he loomed over him.

He picked a kind of head set with a special device.

"What are you doing?" Yuuichirou demanded.

The device blocked his eyes but forced one of them open.

"Stop this madness, Yami!" Yuuichirou yelled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" He chuckled as he walked out.

"… I'm counting on you for the piloting, Blues."

The last preparations were being checked inside of the plane: Enzan transferred Blues into the vehicle.

"Roger."

"We'll reach the point in five minutes. Try to be careful."

Enzan walked to another part of the plane and opened an attaché case.

"What's that?" Laika inquired.

"These are the new model grip and scope developed by IPC. They improve the PET's functions." Enzan announced as he handed one to everyone.

"Cool!" Netto commented.

Everyone attached the grip along with the protective screen: the cargo bay ramp opened and the hovercraft jumped into the water: their progress was being monitored by the Science Labs.

"They're landing and embarking on the island." One scientist reported.

The hovercraft climbed the beach and headed for a fence but three laser beams suddenly destroyed it.

_What! Luckily I was riding in Rock Man's PET…!_

Freeze Man gasped as he witnessed that while being inside of Rock Man's PET: the culprits were small mechanic units colored green and four legged: they had a red jewel set on their foreheads.

"Are you okay?" Enzan asked Blues when he returned into his PET.

"Yes, sir. Enzan – sama."

"That was surprisingly quick." Enzan muttered.

The three of them were hidden beneath a partly-destroyed wall: they'd obviously jumped out the vehicle upon reaching the beach.

"That "Nebula Grey" dude… It even has those things." Netto grumbled with clear annoyed.

"The Army's all-purpose old-style mecha… They were abundantly deployed around the facilities but…"

"The Ameroupe Army was destroyed by its own mecha, then…"

One of the robots walked and stopped: its eyes and jewel flashed as they turned red: it scanned and located the three of them so the other two robots joined it.

_Old-fashioned mecha, huh… _

"Meijin – san!" Netto called out.

"I was waiting for that! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

The "Dimensional Area" formed around the island.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" All of them yelled.

The three robots shot at them but failed because the three "Cross Fusion" users jumped into the air and attacked.

"Rock Buster!"

"Sonic Boom!"

"Scope Gun!"

Their attacks made short work of the mechanic units: they next jumped over the fence to face another multitude of robots.

_Go!_

"CF" Netto ran while shooting small bursts: all of his shots met his slow-moving targets and blew them up.

_Go, Mr. Laika!_

"CF" Laika did the same and then quickly ran in a diagonal manner to dodge the laser beam being projected by one of the mechas: he calmly took aim and blew the mecha up too.

_Go, Mr. Ijuuin! The three of you are the only ones right now who can stop Cousin's madness… No… His stunt… _

Three lasers tried to converge on "CF" Blues but he quickly dashed past the mechas and cut through them: they began to rotate and they then exploded.

_Good!_

The group then ran inside the base and the doors closed behind them.

"Netto!" "CF" Laika warned.

The area was obscured but it was filled with endless amounts of red eyes: they backed up as the countless amounts of robots walked towards them until their backs were glued.

"Ua~h!"

Yuuichirou yelled as four lasers started to penetrate his right retina and seemingly read something there: two halves of a spheroid closed around him thus enclosing him inside of it: various systems engaged and the central tower began to emit light.

_It's begun! _"K. S." gasped.

A purple light burst out of the dome as "Nebula Grey" rose inside of the Network.

_And there they are!_

Yoru Yami had somehow changed into the form of a Net Navi and was now standing inside of the Cyber World: a projection of his body was amplified to create a sinister sensation.

Their Net Navi form was over a meter and ninety tall and his body design was highly reminiscent of Rock Man's one.

He wore a helmet with a mouth guard activated: his eyes' irises were visible and it could be seen that they were colored crimson red.

His chest emblem consisted on just two shades of black and white split by a horizontal grey line: he had two curious shoulder pads which were shaped as two split halves of a diamond: his main body's color was navy blue although the forearms and his boots were colored in purple.

A black smooth cape hung from the back of his shoulders and reached all the way to the floor as well as an add-on to his bodysuit.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

A program in the shape of a silver sphere with grooves carved all across its surface and having an opening on the lower edge on it levitated and activated: a burst of shifting rainbow lights covered the island.

"A distortion of Time - Space has engulfed the whole of the island!"

"What!" Meijin exclaimed, baffled.

"CF" Blues and "CF" Laika were dealing with the crowd.

"Go on ahead, Netto!" "CF" Blues exclaimed.

"Head for "Nebula Grey"!" "CF" Laika added.

"_Thank you_!" "CF" Netto thanked.

"We're counting on you, Netto!" "CF" Blues declared.

"CF" Netto ran alongside corridors in the central hub of the facility.

_Bloody Yami… Where's Papa? Gotta be in a higher floor!_

He was about to turn and enter a corridor when he spotted the distortion: the very image of the corridor was agitating.

"W-what's this?"

_A Time - Space distortion! _

"A Time - Space distortion…?"

Two "ghost" scientists passed through him and ran down the corridor all of a sudden as if they were a projection of the past.

"_Past Visions"? This same day in the past happened to be a day when Wily was running an experiment or what? "Spectrum" alone shouldn't be capable of doing that, right? _"K. S." realized.

"_Hurry up!"_

"_What's going on?"_

_W-were those misters ghosts? _Saito suddenly asked.

_No! They rather looked like a "Past Vision" like when we went to that crater…_ Netto ventured.

_Given the way they talked… Maybe our present and their era are interlinked and there's a Time - Space distortion there, too?_

_Who knows? Papa will explain it: let's go rescue him!_

_Yeah! Let's go!_

Wily and a general were looking at the central tower of "Spectrum" on the same day and hour 20 years ago: the tower was shinning with light and the distortion could be felt inside of the control room.

"A Time - Space distortion…? What does that mean, Dr. Wily?"

"Most likely… Someone in the future has activated "Spectrum" in our same location. Given how both devices are resonating, it has also changed Time – Space into cybernetic data and…"

Some "bubbles" of seemingly materialized Time-Space were forming all around the base: two army men looked stunned while standing in the midst of a nearby corridor.

"What are you doing? Barrel Tai – sa?" One asked.

Barrel ran ahead for the bubble and he vanished in a bright flash along with the bubble.

"TAI – SA~!" The men called out.

A pink-colored bubble formed on the present and Barrel came out of it while still running: he panted and eyed the tower: the level of rustiness to it was proof enough.

"This is the future, then?"

He ran off while looking like he knew exactly what had to be done and which way he had to pick.

"… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

The program was tilted sideways and a gelatin – like substance was covering it while forming a column: Twilight emerged from the substance in the ground, and his body frizzled with energy.

"K. S.! You lowlife are powerless! I shall become Demon King - sama and you lowlife shall be annihilated! I know that you lowlife are witnessing this… Witness more! When I turn my _half-brothers_ into cybernetic data, you lowlife shall be next!" He announced aloud in a victorious tone of voice and having a smug smile on his face.

"Brag on, Twilight! I know perfectly that this is but a stunt." His Net Navi suddenly showed up there.

"Hah! Stunt, you say. And why would that be?" He mocked.

"Unless you've gone mad then you'd be destroying the woman's ugly businesses. And they wouldn't get their "prize"."

"Ah! But aren't you forgetting _something_? We're both _outsiders_ to _this story_! Ice Queen – sama doesn't exist here. So I can go all out! This experience will then be useful for a future scheme."

"Che. As crazy as that woman… I'm off. They will come and land a hammer's blow in your helmet, anyway." He fumed.

"Flee, you cheap MI6 agent! This is MY SHOW!"

"Whatever."

The Navi came out of the spot and Twilight shrugged.

"… Bah... A mere fool which believes in that whole utopian "justice" thing… Whatever the friggin' ever… This place is like my second birth-place to me, anyway… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Yeah… "Spectrum" was what allowed me to become the evolved Net Navi I am! Ice Queen – sama: thou wanted these foolish humans to taste thou power… So that's what I am doing, my lady! Hikari Brothers! Join your companions as cybernetic data, forever! Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Ua~h!"

Yuuichirou kept on roaring in pain while "CF" Netto kept on running.

"Why is there a Time - Space distortion in here?" He wondered aloud.

_Keep going straight after this, otouto._

Two robots colored purple, similar to the other ones, dropped in front of him.

"An image from the past…?" "CF" Netto wondered.

_Wrong! They're from this era!_ Saito corrected.

"CF" Netto took out the Rock Buster but his shots got deflected.

_It's not taking effect!_

"Then… Battle Chip, Wide Sword, Fumikomizan!"

"CF" Netto shot forward with his sword but got repelled.

"They're though…" He muttered.

The other two "Cross Fusion" fighters kept on destroying robots by shooting Sonic Booms and normal shots: they glued their backs to make sure they wouldn't be hit from there.

"Curses! Just how many of these are in here?" "CF" Laika was losing his cool, for once.

"Who knows? But this is probably nothing compared to what pains he'll be facing." "CF" Blues commented.

And he was _dead_ _right_, as always.

"Battle Chip…!"

One of the robots used its claw to crash him against a wall.

"Ba… Bamboo Lance!"

The lances emerged beneath the robot, effectively breaking it: "CF" Netto tried to recover.

"Only one left…"

But the robot had damaged his chest emblem and it provoked a cancellation of his "Cross Fusion": the PET fell a meter in front of him and he ran towards it.

"Saito – niisan!"

The other robot stood in front and ready for the kill: his eyes panicked and the claws moved forward while Netto tried to shield himself with his arms: he closed the eyes.

_No! He can't win here! _"K. S." gasped in horror.

An explosion happened on the back of the robot, thus making it stop: when Netto dared to open his eyes, he spotted Barrel standing atop it: he had a steel rod on his hand and he jumped for another incoming robot all of a sudden.

"What. You should've found out their defect by now." He told him.

The man ran towards another robot, dodged its attacks, jumped on top of it, and hit the spine with the steel rod.

_Impressive! _Freeze Man gasped.

_Obviously! He developed them! But who is he? He looks military, that's rather obvious._

"This is their weak spot. Netto – kun! Move it!" He commanded.

More robots were coming so they ran for it.

"How do you know my name?" Netto asked.

Barrel took out his PET and aimed forward.

"Colonel!" He commanded.

"Colonel?" Netto wondered.

_Colonel's Operator, Barrel? The mysterious man Jackass reported about not too long ago? _"K. S." wondered.

_Why are they here…? Ah! The Time-Space distortion has allowed them to skip forward to the future?_

"Take a right over there." Barrel instructed.

They entered a corridor and the steel shutter locked the entrance.

"Who are you, mister…?" Netto asked.

"My name is Barrel." The man introduced himself as he retrieved his Navi.

"Barrel – san?"

"The one who is always coming to save us: Colonel!" Rock Man exclaimed.

The robots were using lasers to break through the shutter.

"Let's hurry."

They ran forwards and talked along the way.

"Retinal pattern, you say?" Mettp asked.

"Just like fingerprints: the eye's retinal pattern is unique to a person. Hikari Tadashi – hakase encrypted the final algorithm and etched it onto Hikari Yuuichirou – hakase's retinal pattern thus entrusting its safekeeping to him." Barrel explained.

_The younger Hikari Tadashi had brought Yuuichirou over to his lab and had him lie on a table as one laser device did something with his right eye: Tadashi interacted with the screens: some patterns were drawn upon his retina._

"So that's why Yami took Papa… However… How did you know such a thing? Barrel – san?" Netto realized before asking.

"Dr. Wily was the one who knew that!"

"Wily!" Netto was surprised.

"But that's a story of about twenty years ago… Let's hurry!"

They eyed the end of the corridor and the central tower rising ahead of them.

"We should be able to access to "Nebula Grey" from the tower's controls."

They'd almost crossed the bridge when more robots dropped both in front and behind them: the bottom part of the catwalk above them was filled with them, too.

"They're behind us, too!" Netto gasped.

One of the robots used its lasers to cut the catwalk in half.

_Oh no! _"K. S." gasped in horror.

They fell but Barrel grabbed Netto's hand as he shot a wire with a grip which attached to the side of the tower: he was holding Netto with one arm and leaning a foot against the wall.

"Having our situation reach an unexpected end clocks at one zero one seven…" He calmly announced.

Netto still looked like he was recovering from the earlier experience.

"Colonel. Bring us up."

"Ua~h! Wa~h!"

They raced to the top level: the entrance to the cupola on top of the central tower was there.

_Phew! They're finally there!_

They ran in and spotted the spheroid: they could hear Yuuichirou's yells coming out from inside of its body: Barrel scanned the room.

"Wa~h! Ua~h! Uah…! Huh…!"

"Papa!"

They ran towards it and Netto banged on it.

"Papa! Papa! Papa!"

"Let's Plug - In into this thing." Barrel instructed after looking around and seemingly deciding the best course of action.

"Into this…?" Netto asked.

"This is the core of "Nebula Grey"! Once we beat the thing we'll surely be able to save Hikari – hakase." Barrel summarized.

"I see. Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Colonel, Transmission!"

The two of them entered a corridor decorated with white columns: they could clearly see energy rails diverting all energy towards the core up ahead.

"What's this…?" Rock Man wondered.

"All of the base's energy is flowing into "Nebula Grey"...!" Colonel realized.

Some kind of jelly-like opponents appeared: they had sharp blades on their arms and a hostile look: they began to attack them and both began to dodge: Rock Man shot them but the missing parts regenerated: more and more popped out.

"I'll handle this spot. Rock Man! You go on ahead!"

"Colonel!"

"You must defeat "Nebula Grey"! Screen Divide!"

Colonel cleared a path.

"Now, Rock Man!"

"Thanks, Colonel!"

Rock Man ran and Colonel kept them busy while the base crumbled and pieces of it moved aside: parts of it collapsed thus surprising the two "Cross Fusion" fighters.

"What has started to happen?" "CF" Laika wondered aloud.

The beams started to shoot out while escaping the "Dimensional Area" thus causing more destruction.

"Meijin! We have more de-materialization phenomenon!" One scientist reported.

"It's started…!" He hissed.

Seen from space, Earth was being covered in those gigantic algorithms.

_Make it on time, Rock Man!_

Rock Man reached the core and was stunned.

"Ah..!"

The walls of the round room had an organic-like look and there was an inverted dome (which surely was part of the earlier program Twilight had been interacting with) with a hole placed in front of hum: a pedestal had been built beneath the opening and the energy was diverting around it.

"This is his final evolution?" Barrel wondered aloud.

The room shook as the walls collapsed entirely and a hologram projection of "Nebula Grey" appeared: it roared.

"That's "Nebula Grey"?" "CF" Blues wondered.

Twilight appeared on the pedestal below the dome's hole.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Too late… Too late to stop Armageddon! Hikari Saito! _Tempus fugit_, as the Romans used to say!"

Saito gasped and looked surprised.

"In another ten minutes, according to my calculations, my final evolution shall be completed. Armageddon! It's like one of those sci-fi films but it's happening for _real_!"

A strong energy blast shot out of nowhere and it almost hit Twilight but it was stopped by a barrier: Forte was there.

"Forte!" Rock Man was surprised.

"Twilight!" Forte called out.

"Hmpf…"

The villain smirked and looked liked he'd been expecting it to happen.

"…Huh… You dared to…! You lowlife dared to… To make a pawn out of me…! Unforgivable!" Forte hissed with obvious anger.

He made a grimace and attacked again with the same result.

"Otouto!"

"Battle Chip, Vulcan!"

The attack did no damage at all while the beams kept covering the Earth in algorithms.

"Commendable, yet futile!"

The pedestal rose into the hole.

"Curse you! Wait, Twilight!" Forte yelled.

He shot his energy orbs and made a hole in the dome: the interior of it seemed to recreate the "Reverse Cyber World" because "stars" shone inside of it: Forte was surprised but he jumped into it as the hole began to regenerate.

"Forte! I see! If we do it the inside…!"

Rock Man followed him just as the hole finished regenerating.

"Saito - niisan!" Netto gasped.

Both Rock Man and Forte started to slash and cut wires which were moving skywards: Forte shot a Darkness Overload to get rid of some of them: the jelly-like substance was rising into the core from the outside.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto called out.

Twilight was floating in a platform and holding a small spheroid with some holes allowing one to see a reddish mass inside of it: the purple vortex spiraled around him.

_There's the madman._

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…! If you want to be useful… Allow me to cross-examine you by dissecting your data and fusing it into me. I'm Dr. House: specialist in dissecting Net Navis!" Twilight announced while sounding totally amused.

He waved the right hand: "Nebula Grey" appeared behind Rock Man and grabbed both of them: his arms vanished and were replaced by a bunch of wires which merged into a single sphere.

"Niisan! Niisan!"

Both of them were trying to struggle but they couldn't break free as some small wires attached to them and their strength faded: a white light surrounded the mass of wires as a jelly-like substance of gray/pink coloring began to slowly cover their bodies.

"Fo… Forte…" Saito called out.

Forte turned to look at him while seemingly surprised.

"My… Use my "Ultimate Program"… You wished to combine with my "Ultimate Program" and to be able to evolve into a powerful existence…"

"Saito…" He muttered.

"What are you saying, Saito – niisan?" Netto asked.

"… The world will be destroyed if we don't… The Earth, too… Humans, too… And Netto – kun… my otouto…" Saito warned.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto yelled with tears on his eyes.

"This way… you can… even… defeat… "Nebula Grey"…!" Saito insisted as the substance began to gain thickness.

The "Dimensional Area" around the island had faded and the beams were shooting in all directions: the robots had stopped working (apparently Twilight thought they weren't needed anymore) and Laika and Enzan could only watch as the hologram of "Nebula Grey" hologram kept on roaring.

"It's only way left…!"

"Stop it! Stop it, Saito – niisan!" Netto pleaded.

An opaque gray substance was covering them by now.

"Hurry, Forte! Hurry!" Saito pleaded.

"Same wish over here!"

Forte's eyes shone with lust as he reached out for Rock Man despite the wires trying to block his right hand.

"STOP I~T!" Netto cried.

Forte gripped the chest emblem and a strong energy wave formed: the power was such that the wires ball broke and the light made the energy stop being sucked by the core.

"UA~H!"

"Uack!"

"UA~H!"

Rock Man yelled as he turned into a blue-like mass and surrounded Forte, who didn't seem to expect the power to be so great, given his yelp of surprise: an aura of power surrounded him.

"This… incredible energy…! You can't… control… my "Ultimate Program"…! UA~H!" Two voices spoke at the same time as it to signal that the absorption was far from perfect.

There was a bright flash as Forte's body transformed: a shower of the substance came out from the hole in the dome: it washed Colonel and the jelly-like fighters so he turned around.

"What's this?"

A bright yellow spheroid came out of the dome, and, when it vanished, everyone was stunned: a mix of both Rock Man and Forte was floating in the air.

The helmet design was also highly similar to Forte's including a small greenish diamond in the center of the forehead.

He gained two shoulder armor pieces and a deteriorated brownish scarf around his neck which ended in a broken shard at the end: his boots got replaced by Forte's design as well as his forearms:

"Saito – niisan…?" Netto wondered.

Twilight descended while looking slightly taken aback.

"What… You two used the "Fusion" Magic Card and became a Fusion Monster?" Twilight questioned with a hint of annoyance on his voice.

The fusion shot forward at an incredible speed and was deflected by the barrier.

"Huh!"

Twilight gasped and looked nervous as the shock-wave provoked holes in the dome and the substance came out in the form of torrents of liquid: the fusion landed on the ground and stood there.

"What an incredible power…!" Netto exclaimed.

Debris began to fall from the ceiling and Twilight looked panicked at his surroundings.

"Che! Can't be helped… Come! My pet! _Cave canem_!" Twilight made a smirk after firstly looking annoyed.

"Nebula Grey" emerged and grabbed Rock Man but its right hand suddenly exploded.

_What power! _Freeze Man gasped.

_Hmpf. Show that foolish Cousin the foolishness of his actions. _

"Nebula Grey" then shot a ball of fire which was easily dodged: it tried to shoot some needles next which failed as well because Rock Man warped out of the way: "Nebula Grey" kept on roaring.

_Realize your own powerlessness! Cousin!_

Rock Man activated the Salamander Battle Chip and moved forward while shooting the Hell's Rolling: his coloring switched to silver.

_Hah! Twilight's desperate assaults can't harm them!_

The indented wheels made two large vertical cuts on the monster's chest which leaked the white substance: Rock Man took something similar to the Hell's Buster next: he shot several attacks all meeting their target and seemingly overwhelming the monster.

_The final blow, Rock Man! Forte!_

Rock Man landed on the ground and charged up energy on his hands.

"HRUA~H!" He roared.

Rock Man shot a powered-up Darkness Overload at the monster's head, effectively destroying it.

_Hah! That's what happens when you get in the way of "Gospel": we can let them dispose of you and then we'll rise back to power. _Freeze Man rubbed his hands.

"Nebula Grey" fell with its back into the ground and mingled with the substance, which acted like water: when it cleared, Twilight was lying in there instead of the monster: he looked shocked.

"Un… Unbelievable! I…! The great Demon King… Have lost? Hollywood idiots…!" Twilight muttered while sounding baffled at first but then adding a sarcastic curse.

Rock Man panted and collapsed face-down into the ground, exhausted from the effort.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto gasped.

The core hissed and split in two thus opening.

"Ah! Papa!"

Barrel removed the device from the unconscious man and the restrains as well: he had an ugly bruise on his right eye: Yuuichirou stirred.

"Netto…?" Yuuichirou asked.

"That's right, Papa!" Netto was relieved.

"Netto…" Yuuichirou muttered as he caressed his right cheek.

The giant algorithms faded and everything was reverted to normal once again: everyone stared in awe at their surroundings completely oblivious to what had happened around them: the Science Labs team eyed the situation in relief.

"The city… The de-materialization is fading away!" Meijin exclaimed.

Dr. Hikari was leaning on Barrel since his balance was not good enough.

"Colonel. You've done well." Barrel announced before he shut down the screen.

"Niisan! Saito – niisan!" Netto called out.

"Netto - kun?" Barrel asked.

"I can't Plug niisan Out!" Netto exclaimed.

The Cyber World was still collapsing.

"I shall not die alone… You two shall come with me to the Demon Tribe World. The flames of Hell shall incinerate you!" Twilight muttered.

The spheroid shone with a purple light and a black swirling vortex opened: it began to suck up all chunks of debris and Rock Man, too.

"Niisan! Wake up, niisan! Niisan! NIISA~N!"

Rock Man opened his eyes and the fusion reverted in a bright flash, leaving both floating in the air.

"Otouto?" He called out while looking confused and out of place.

"Saito…" Forte muttered.

Rock Man turned to look at Forte who he had placed his right hand on top of his left shoulder: he shot him an energy burst thus pushing him backwards and allowing him to be logged out.

"Heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah! Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, ha~h…!"

Forte then vanished into the depths of the rift while Rock Man appeared inside of his PET with his eyes closed.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto exclaimed in relief.

"Let's hurry." Barrel instructed.

"Yeah!"

The rest of the base crumbled: the central tower lost its balance and hit one of the walls: the group of three was running down a corridor when they saw how a shutter in front of them was lowering.

"The door…!"

Barrel threw his PET below the door and got it stuck: he then crouched and pushed it upwards by applying strength so as to leave enough space to crawl: the PET could be seen having a significant crack in the right side of the screen near the controls.

"Netto - kun!"

Netto and his father passed through by crawling under the opening and they then turned to look at Barrel.

"Barrel – san! Hurry up!" Netto called out.

"This is our farewell. When Saito's in a pinch then Colonel will definitely show up. I'm the immortal Barrel. Until we meet again! Netto - kun."

_He must believe "Saito – niisan" is a nickname for Rock Man…! _Netto realized.

"Barrel – san!" Barrel – sa~n!" Netto yelled.

The shutter lowered while Enzan and Laika came running towards them across the corridor.

"Netto!" Enzan called out.

"Hikari – hakase!" Laika called out.

"Enzan! Laika!" Netto exclaimed.

18:08 PM (Jakarta Time)...

_Twilight's ambitions are crushed. Well done, gentlemen. _

The four of them were on-board a rubber boat while witnessing the explosions which rocked the base: smoke covered all the base and some small chunks of debris fell into the water.

"The inherited program of "Light" and "Dark" is gone… Enzan – kun, Laika – kun, Netto, Saito… Thanks to your joint efforts Earth has been saved. Thank you." He smiled.

"Otouto…"

Netto picked the PET and looked at the screen.

"Back then… Forte…" He looked uneasy.

_I think Forte was displaying some kind of mix between thrill, joy and disappointment… Rock Man's "Ultimate Program" was too powerful for even to him to properly absorb. He'll have to find another way of gaining the power to defeat Slur… That attack on him was a smug way of saying "thanks for the thrill ride, Rock Man"… The guy must've felt the biggest thrill he'll ever feel… And he's vanished into that rift thing because maybe he knows it's but a stunt by Twilight to flee somewhere else…_

"The relief team…!" Laika announced.

"It must be Commissioner Kifune and the others!" Netto guessed.

Netto stood up and waved his harms at the incoming helicopter.

"Oi~! Oi~! We did it! Hah, hah! Hah, hah! Commissioner Kifune! Manabe – sa~n! We did i~t!"

Manabe pointed to the group of people and Commissioner Kifune smiled in relief: Enzan also waved while Laika and Dr. Hikari smiled.

"Hah, hah, hah!"

The men on the Science Labs shook hands and Meijin made a victory gesture.

08:07 AM (Japan Time), Sunday October the 4th…

_Good! His friends and everyone have been restored to normal… That's good to see._

"K. S." looked on as Netto ran to meet his friends and Meiru hugged him: Saito was being hugged by Roll at the same time while Search Man and Blues smiled.

_Good!_

Barrel, on the other hand, was on the midst of a nocturnal city while witnessing the skies and looking relaxed.

_Oho. So they've gone to the matches again._

"K. S." looked on as both made their way through the matches and the announcer then signaled them.

"Winner! Hikari Netto _a~nd_ Rock Man!"

The group then headed to their homes and Netto got into his: he dropped into his bed, sighing in relief.

"What a nerve-racking week-end…! We barely avoided the Earth's destruction and all…!" Netto exclaimed.

"Yeah… So Twilight was alive… Has he died for real now by being sucked on that "black hole" thing or…?" Saito muttered.

"Dunno… But at least we've avoided the worst outcome and rescued Papa and our friends too!" Netto shrugged.

"Lately, though… I've gotten the feeling that someone's been watching me from the Cyber World… It could be that "K. S." mister but it can be someone else too…" Saito trailed off, worried.

"Guess so… But whatever! We're the ultimate team! As long as we combine our power and that of our friends we can beat anyone!"

"Yup! Let's go for it, Netto – kun! This is far from over!"

"Yeah! Time to tune into the next season! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"


	14. Chapter 13: Shade Man's Counterattack

**Chapter 13: Shade Man's Counterattack**

12:08 AM (Utah Time), Friday October the 9th…

_Well. I decided to check up on Hikari – hakase to see if he's properly recovered from the adventure of Saturday… _

A helicopter in which Dr. Hikari, another man and Detective Hunter were flying moved towards the crater Duo had formed somehow: a facility had been built there to conduct more investigations in the strange phenomenon: "K. S." had snuck a dragonfly onboard it to monitor.

The facility consisted into two main buildings: a tower placed on the exact center of the crater and a control center built at the rim of it where the base camp had been at: a large bridge connected both buildings, spanning across half of the crater's width and various special rods were placed across the crater to measure the unique phenomena.

_Impressive. All of this has been built in slightly over two months' time… _

"What do you think of the overhead view, Hikari – hakase?"

"Spectacular! While seen from here it looks like the construction of both Time – Space Tower and Surveillance Tower is on schedule."

"Yes, sir. It is thanks to the peculiar research data Hikari – hakase gained from Doctor Takei. There's still some hard work left to do but… The stabilization of the "Past Visions" is favorably proceeding." The guest told Yuuichirou.

"That's nice to hear! Well then. Let's then work on the next stage of the experiments." Yuuichirou smiled as he looked out.

"Yes, sir. That's what we'd like, sir. However… There's still a lot we don't know about the materialization of the "Past Visions"…"

"So we should focus on the monitoring of the past-come Viruses, so as to say."

"We'll soon land on the Time-Space Tower, Hikari – hakase."

_So there's still a lot left to learn…_

The alarms inside of the control center suddenly blared to life: an orb of light and the same shifting rainbow colors appeared inside of the crater just as the chopper landed.

"A "Past Vision"…" A technician reported.

_So that's one. _

"There's no possibility of Viruses wandering here thanks to the Time Space Shield … Trill Viruses are gonna show up again?"

"No. Wrong. I don't know their true colors, but… It possesses an incredible amount of energy." The first one muttered.

The energy graphs on-screen were quickly climbing as more of the same "Past Vision" bubbles emerged: Dr. Hikari and the other man walked in.

"We apologize for rushing you right after arrival, Hikari – hakase."

"Let's gradually stabilize that "Past Vision"." He commanded.

A zoomed "Past Vision" could be seen in one of the screens: some kind of swirling mass had formed inside of it.

"Seems it's like a pretty old past image…"

"I'll improve the impression."

One of the technicians clarified the image and the result was stunning: a close – up of Shade Man's face could be seen.

"_Heh, heh…_"

"Shade Man!" Dr. Hikari exclaimed, surprised.

_What! An image of Shade Man from some months ago..? _"K. S." gasped in surprise too.

_Shade Man had plunged his other claw into Twilight, who seemed unfazed, though: he didn't react at the attack._

"_A mere "Darkloid Tribe" won't be able to stand to the "Demon Tribe Chief" that I am!"_

_He had suddenly turned his whole body around as if the claws weren't there: Shade Man had been taken aback by it and Twilight crossed his two swords to form the shape of the Alphabet "X" character. _

"_Double Thunder!" _

_Shade Man had tried to retreat his arm but a burst of purplish electricity destroyed his right arm._

"_Uwah!"_

"_Area Steal!" _

_Twilight had vanished and appeared on front of Shade Man, who had collapsed on his knees from the pain: Twilight had kicked him against the wall of the tower thus making Shade Man break it and fall to his fours. _

"_You were rather reckless in coming to me with revenge in mind." _

_He lifted Shade Man with his right hand and began to choke him._

"There's no mistaking it: that's Shade Man's last moment from roughly half a year ago!"

"The electrical charged particles of the "Past Tunnel" are increasing!" One of the two technicians reported.

The energy was off-charts by now.

"The electrical charged particles …? Please strengthen the Time - Space Shield."

"Yes, sir! Time – Space Shield: strengthened!"

A shield akin to a "Dimensional Area" deployed around the crater and the control center was left out of it.

"_Che! I won't allow anyone to use a "Raise Dead" on you again, Shade Man – dono. In that case… I'll remove you from the game!"_

_Twilight had been choking Shade Man's neck using his right hand. _

"_Shut your trap up!" Shade Man had cursed. _

_Shade Man had tried to use his other arm but Twilight had just waved the right hand again._

"_Vicious Fire!" _

_Black flames had formed and consumed Shade Man's left arm up to the shoulder: he'd roared in agony. _

"_Bye-bye, Shade Man – dono! Say hi to your fallen pawns! Double Thunder: Max Power!" _

_He'd let go for a moment of Shade Man and yanked him upwards: Twilight quickly drew both swords out: when Shade Man fell back he had jumped and had plunged both swords into his chest emblem and making them emerge from the back of his body: purplish electricity had spread across the body: Shade Man had roared._

The electricity seemed to amplify and suddenly turned into bright bursts of purplish energy: the screens and consoles suddenly exploded and alarms blared into the night.

_No good. Huh? Ah! Mr. Ijuuin's come back to Japan… Let's see, it's about 4PM there… _

An IPC jet landed in one runway and Enzan came out: he quickly headed for the Net Police HQ and summoned Netto, Superintendent Manabe and Commissioner Kifune.

"The one who treats us as allies: the Net Navi fighting the "Asteroids" across the world's regions… Colonel. And, also… Regarding this person…"

He brought an image of Barrel next to Colonel's.

"His Operator: Barrel Tai-sa."

Netto actually stood up from his chair.

"This person! He saved me during the "Nebula Grey" incident!" He exclaimed.

_Yeah. I still haven't shaken off the feeling of dread of that day._ Saito admitted with a sigh.

"Barrel Tai-sa is a military man of the Ameroupe Army. Colonel is a battling-purpose Navi developed by the Army: a military Navi."

"Of the Ameroupe Army…?" Manabe asked.

"It's just like we suspected. Some time ago… When we questioned the Ameroupe Army about Colonel… They replied that there wasn't any existing Navi which matched up but…"

"Could he be a military secret?" Manabe suggested.

"But you had a way: your company has sympathies with the Ameroupe Army!"

Blues and Rock Man were also observing the screens from inside of the PETs.

"A military Navi…?" Blues wondered.

"No wonder why he's so strong."

_So! What's going in the crater?_

The smoke cleared to reveal a materialized Shade Man standing in the crater: he was missing both arms and was full of wounds while grumbling under his breath.

_What! Shade Man! But that form…! Ah! Some strange physics have allowed him to jump to the future seconds before being totally deleted, then?_

He roared in fury and transformed into a purple sphere which shot skywards: he hit the Time – Space Shield, and, due to his speed, he broke through it before he transformed in bats and flew away.

_I've got a bad feeling about this. What about Mr. Barrel? _

"So… About "Barrel Tai-sa"… What's he doing by now? Can't you request the Ameroupe Army to officially allow him to cooperate with us?"

"I tried, but… Netto."

"Huh?"

"Do you remember when you returned from Ameroupe some time ago?"

"_Otouto…" _

"_What?"_

"_Look at that headstone!"_

"_Headstone?"_

_The headstone signaled by Rock Man had Colonel's emblem set there and a black coffin was placed in front of it: several persons and some soldiers were standing in front of it._

"_It has the same emblem of the Navi who helped us…!" _

"Ah. I remember. So then?" Netto asked.

"That was… Barrel Tai-sa's funeral!"

"Barrel Tai-sa's!" Netto shouted.

"Two days before that day…"

_An old CD player was playing a vintage disc inside of an apartment. _

_The elderly man witnessed on the "Earth Erasure" day was sitting inside of the apartment: his PET III's emblem happened to be the same one "Colonel" had: the man was now looking out into the city: Duo's comet was visible in the sky. _

"_Duo… My battle will be starting from here onwards…"_

_He let go of the PET and became limp as the CD player stopped playing._

"Two days before that day… Barrel Tai – san passed away in his mansion's apartment. Of old age."

Everyone gasped.

"It couldn't be!" Netto exclaimed.

"… It's true. This photo of Barrel Tai-sa dates back from his army days, but... Have a look." Enzan replied.

He brought up a blurry image which portrayed a park in a city and then zoomed on a man sitting on a bench: he sported the same clothing Barrel had but he had gray hair and wrinkles on his face while a more thinner face.

"What's this?" Kifune asked.

"His last photograph: taken a few days before his demise."

Netto stood up from the chair again.

"… Wait a minute, Enzan! I met Barrel – san way after that funeral day thing! He was standing and he wasn't that old mister!"

Enzan closed his eyes.

_I think I know the explanation but let's see if Mr. Ijuuin reached the same conclusion too._

"Or are you trying to say that the Barrel – san I saw was a ghost?"

"Netto – kun." Meijin called out.

"Meijin – san…"

"Similar to how the Trill Viruses which should've become extinct ten years ago crossed over the Time – Space and appeared in the present... Wouldn't THE Colonel be a Navi from the past, then? That was Hikari – hakase's hypothesis." Meijin exposed.

"So then…"

"In short: when you say that you a person who claimed to be Barrel Tai – sa during the "Nebula Grey" incident, that was…"

"That was the Barrel Tai- sa which had come from the world of the past by crossing over the Time – Space…" Enzan dramatically announced.

Seeing the photos side by side said it all.

"From the past…?" Netto was shocked by now.

_From the past…! _Saito was shocked as well.

"True: during the "Nebula Grey" incident… A Time – Space distortion sprouted over the whole of the island…" Blues calmly recalled.

Rock Man gasped: he could see where this was leading to.

_Huh! I've picked up an incredibly high energy signature! _

The purple sphere appeared on the sky over a construction site and shot down into the ground thus causing a shockwave provoking the half-constructed building to collapse: two red eyes shone from within the dust and a voice growled.

_They've come!_

"So… You mean to say that Barrel Tai – sa uses Colonel as his emissary from the past to cooperate with us?" Kifune summed up.

"There are still some questions pending."

"Questions?"

"Colonel was developed by the Ameroupe Army 20 years ago. Barrel Tai – sa was 30 years old then. But that'd mean that he was 50 years old when he was deceased."

"50 years old, you say?" Commissioner Kifune sounded baffled.

"… That's gotta be a lie! Looking at this photo he looks more like a 100 years old mister!"

"… Commissioner! A materialized "Darkloid" has been appeared in Akihara City!" Manabe exclaimed after answering the phone.

Shade Man was standing within the demolished construction site and gasping.

"I-I am… alive…? What in the… has happened…?" He muttered.

He suddenly remembered about Twilight and he could picture his smug smile and face under that weird facial protection the "Vadous Chaos" sported.

"WHY, YOU~…! TOWAIRAITTO~!"

A powerful shock-wave finished ruining the construction site before he shot skywards again and floated in mid-air.

"CRUSH NOISE!"

A car stopped nearby: both Netto and Enzan came out.

"That's…!"

Netto looked in disbelief.

"Shade Man!" Netto exclaimed.

"Shade Man! Why…? He should've been defeated by "Vadous Chaos" Twilight!" Enzan remembered.

"From what I can see he's causing a lot of damage!"

"Let's go, Netto!"

"Be careful! You must take into account that your foe is Shade Man!"

"We get it! Meijin – san! We need the "Dimensional Area"!"

"_San wa iranai!_ Science Labs!" Meijin contacted them using his PET.

The "Dimensional Area" formed.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Gro~ua~h! Grrr!"

Shade Man used a laser to cut a building in two.

"Stop it! Shade Man!"

Shade Man glanced at his back.

"Huh?"

"Battle Chip, Drill Arm!"

"Battle Chip, Samurai Sword!"

The two attacks caught him by surprise and he crashed into the ground with a cloud of dust: he stood up immediately, however.

"You lowlifes…! Where's Twilight?" Shade Man hissed.

"What?" "CF" Blues sounded surprised.

"You lost to Twilight!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"Don't screw me! The outcome hasn't come yet…! I'll get rid of you lowlifes firstly…! Crush Noise!"

The attack also hit the car behind which Meijin and Manabe had been taking cover while Dr. Hikari was speaking with Commissioner Kifune via a live video call.

"… Shade Man's in Japan?" He uttered.

"Both Netto – kun and Enzan – kun are confronting him!"

The two fighters turned to see if Meijin and Manabe were okay.

"Meijin – san!"

"Superintendent Manabe!"

"She's okay! She just lost consciousness!"

Meijin was holding an unconscious Manabe.

"Where are you looking at?"

Shade Man had moved behind them and he kicked them: "CF" Blues hit a wall and "CF" Netto fell to the ground.

"Shade Hand!"

A gigantic claw grabbed "CF" Blues and tried to crush him: he yelled as he struggled to break free.

"Enzan!"

However, Shade Man kicked "CF" Netto again and he rolled across the ground.

"Curses!"

"Grrrr!"

Shade Man pressed the back of his helmet with one foot.

"DIE~!" He roared.

"Needle Cannon!"

The blast hit Shade Man fully and he recoiled, surprised.

_OH! Ms. Yuriko to the rescue! It's been a while! _"K. S." sighed in relief.

_I'm late, as usual. I was still compiling sensor data for the report on the "Nebula Grey" incident and I find this. Where'd this guy come out from and how did he get that damaged? _Freeze Man got into a nearby Cyber World and began to look out.

"Clear Needle!"

"CF" Yuriko sliced the claw in half thus freeing "CF" Blues.

"Yuriko!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"Battle Chip, Magma Seed!"

Part of the ground under Shade Man turned into lava and he sunk on it, trapped.

"Good! You two! Now!"

"PROGRAM ADVANCE!"

"Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In!

"Flame, Elec, Aqua, Bamboo Sword!"

"GIGA CANNON!"

"ELEMENTAL SWORD!"

"GRO~U~A~H!"

There was an explosion and Shade Man vanished: they both panted and turned to see "CF" Yuriko leaving.

"Yuriko! Please wait a min!" "CF" Netto called out to her before she could get away.

"Why has the already annihilated Shade Man appeared again…? Was this Duo's power too?" "CF" Blues questioned.

"Investigate the "Past Tunnel"." "CF" Yuriko suggested while turning around.

"The "Past Tunnel"…?" "CF" Netto asked.

"Back on the day when Duo's "Earth Erasure" started…"

_As described by Professor Takei, a mysterious glowing object had fallen from the skies into the Utah ridges, falling below the horizon and causing an explosion the brightness of which was stronger than daylight along with a brutal earthquake._

"There is a "Past Tunnel" there. The solution to unravel all the enigmas is probably there."

"What's the basis for that…?" "CF" Blues asked.

"Having been revamped to become Duo's "Probe", my genes… They are telling me that." She brought both hands to the base of her neck.

"What's Duo planning to do with us?" "CF" Netto asked.

"I don't know, either. Only… There's only one certain thing. "

The "Dimensional Area" released and each of them retrieved their PET IIIs.

"That, I, too… That I am one of those who have been granted Duo's trial."

She held up the palm of her right hand to display the "Crest": they gasped.

"Netto - kun!" Meijin called out.

"Enzan – kun!" Superintendent Manabe called out, too.

"Meijin – san!"

"I'm glad! Both of you are alright…" Enzan replied.

Netto and Enzan turned forward but Yuriko was gone.

"Yuriko…" Netto muttered.

17:02 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Freeze Man."

"O~H! Gospel Shuryou! You have returned, sir!"

"Yeah. Some idiots were trying to hold me hostage and force me to supply them with our bank accounts and other data…"

"What!"

"But I got rid of them: they're in a watery grave by now."

"Excellent, sir. Many things have happened.

"Yeah. I'm still getting up-to-date: I know the overall picture but I guess your reports will fill the rest…"

Freeze Man had returned to his base and come out of his diamond when a holographic screen opened to display Gospel Shuryou's face: he immediately kneeled and sounded relieved.

"I am honored, sir! I have worked my best."

"I never questioned that. Later."

"Roger!"

"… Phew. I had to be a bit dramatic, but, well…"

Forte sighed in relief as he typed into a laptop.

"Hum. So it's more or less as I had gathered… Duo's trial, that Slur jerk granting "Asteroids", and now… They say that a Navi and a human have crossed over the Time – Space? That's a first. Hum. And Shade Man appeared again, too… According to Yuriko some "Past Tunnel" is involved too... Guess that this needs to be monitored." He muttered.

He then sat on an armchair and looked around the room.

_Feels good to be back at the Kyutenpa Research Lab! Now I've gained a new kind of power but I'll save up my rematch with Slur for later on: I want to try to help my companion Saito… Slur! Stick out your neck: I'm coming!_

17:09 PM (Japan Time)…

"… SHADE MAN – SAMA~! SHADE MAN – SAMA~! AH! SHADE MAN – SAMA! PUKU~!"

Bubble Man ran and kneeled besides his master's limp form in the same section of the Cyber World where Forte had pulled Rock Man at on the "Earth Erasure" day: Shade Man was lying with his face glued to the ground and it looked like he'd barely escaped being defeated by the two "Net Saviors" a few minutes ago.

"Shade Man – sama… I never stopped searching… De puku… It's not a dream… It's the real Shade Man – sama… Puku…"

He began to shake the limp body.

"Please be alive! Puku! I want you to open your eyes! Puku! Don't die! Puku!"

He began to cry.

"Uh…" Shade Man weakly muttered as he slightly moved his head.

"Puku?" Bubble Man gasped.

"…Da-Dark… "Dark Chip"... Give…" Shade Man muttered.

"…"Dark Chip"? Puku!" Bubble Man looked resolved.

_What! Oh hell! They weren't deleted! But they're very weak by now so they actually need a "Dark Chip"…? But I don't expect Bubble Man to be able to get his hands on one so easily: the "Neo WWW" has them and any of the "Asteroids" is more than a match for Bubble Man. Even if Shade Man gets there he's too weak to properly fight back._ Freeze Man grimaced.

He warped back into the base and opened the diamond.

"Shuryou, Shade Man's alive but weak and Bubble Man is going to get a "Dark Chip"… What do we do?"

"Hum. Follow them. And if they get their hands on one try to destroy or disable it, Freeze Man… Because if not… We'll be in trouble."

20:09 PM (Utah Time)...

"… Whoa! Cool! This is the Time - Space Tower! It's so cool!"

Netto was baffled at the scale of the facility: Manabe looked in a good mood while Enzan had his arms folded and eyes closed.

"Last time I couldn't do any sight-seeing! Today let's circle around and look out!"

"Everyone! We're going to arrive soon enough." Hunter reported.

"Wow! Cool, cool! Whoa~!"

Netto kept on looking while Enzan and Manabe nodded: Netto saw the chopper's shadow fly above the crater where the main tower's foundations were placed.

_I also think it's cool!_ Saito commented.

The visitors were sitting on chairs inside the control room a few minutes later.

"In short: I think that that Shade Man has come into the current age from the past age."

"So, you mean to say that he crossed over the Time – Space just before he was totally deleted by Twilight?" Enzan summed up.

"Correct. And, by coincidence… The "Time – Space Antenna" happened to capture that energy."

"However… The "Past Tunnel" should've been sealed closed by the "Time-Space Shield"…" Hunter argued.

"True: had it been the Trill Viruses which assaulted us before or Viruses of the same energy level, then… The "Time – Space Shield" is valid. However… The monitoring system of the "Past Tunnel" continued working so as to study that… We should've seen it coming that it'd be powerless when faced with a powerful entity like Shade Man… Especially like what happened yesterday… As a result of the "Past Tunnel" amplifying the effects of the unusual energy Shade Man was producing…"

_He reached the present? _"K. S." wondered as he listened in.

"… It summoned the guy into the present age…"

"So then… The damage which Shade Man had received… Was because of that?" Enzan guessed.

"By the way, Netto…"

"Huh?"

"The key to unravel all enigmas is in the "Past Tunnel"… Or so Oozono Yuriko has told you, right?"

"That's true, Papa."

"True, sir. Hikari – hakase, sir." Enzan confirmed.

"Hum." He brought the right hand to his chin.

"Hakase. Do you have any ideas?" Manabe asked.

"… Hum… Truth is… It's still in an experimental stage yet… The Time – Space distortions of the "Past Tunnel"… It'd seem they could be controlled!"

"Control the…?" Manabe began.

"…Time - Space distortions?" Hunter finished.

"Even if I say that… It's not a complete system yet… It's limited to Cyber Space… I wonder if it's worth it checking it out… Netto! Enzan – kun! We'll send Rock Man and Blues into the past's Cyber Space!"

"Send Rock Man and…!" Netto gasped.

"Blues into…?" Enzan continued.

"The past's…" Rock Man muttered.

"Cyber Space?" Blues was surprised, too.

_What! Time-travel? They want to try to figure out if they can approach Colonel like this…?_

12:12 PM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 10th…

"… How's the factory's operation going like?"

Tesla had contacted Inukai and Saiko via video-conference as they worked on what seemingly was a "Neo WWW" factory for something.

"No problems. Ms. President." Saiko reported back.

"I see… The "Net Savior" boy hasn't popped out as of late either… What are they doing, anyway?" She wondered aloud.

"I'm in the middle of construction the overseas route… In another little bit I'll pass the prospect…" Inukai replied.

"I'll be expecting results."

"Huh… Uh… Ugh… Huh…"

Shade Man was somehow managing to walk into a Cyber World somewhere and heading for a cylindrical capsule filled with water rushing upwards while producing purplish bubbles.

"… An intruder…"

Alarms had popped out and Saiko looked slightly surprised: Tesla's video-conference screen popped out.

"An intruder, you say? Dispose of them ASAP!"

Beast Man and Flash Man quickly entered the Cyber World.

"They're around the "Dark Aura Tank"…" Flash Man reported.

"Let's hurry!" Beast Man rallied.

"You can't walk past 'ere! Puku!"

Bubble Man suddenly blocked their way and drew the harpoon gun while trying to look serious.

_Hah. What can this imbecile do, anyway? _Freeze Man smiled.

"What's up with you, you lowlife?" Beast Man grumbled.

"Get out of the way!"

"PUKU~!"

Flash Man easily kicked him away and flying across the air.

"Hruh… Gruh… Unrght... Grua~h…! Gru~h!"

Shade Man was hovering inside of the "Dark Aura Tank" and a purplish glow surrounded his body: he arched his body backwards and then faced forward as his eyes became reddish spots.

_You'll be disposed any moment now._

"W-won't let ya walk past… At all… Puku… PUKU~!"

Beast Man had kicked him next and he hit the ground while covered in bruises and one or two band-aids.

"What an eyesore guy! Huh!" Beast Man scoffed.

They suddenly looked up.

"GRUOA~H!"

Shade Man shattered the tank while a large mass of energy formed around his body: Saiko and Inukai gasped.

_Oh heck. I underestimated them. Bubble Man's persistence has managed to win the necessary time._

Shade Man slowly walked forward while looking more energy-filled and refreshed: some his bruises and wounds had healed but his arms were still gone nevertheless: he was emitting sounds and didn't seem to mind the "Asteroids" who hadn't reacted yet.

"Shade Man – sama! These guys are "Asteroids"! Puku!" Bubble Man warned him.

"Get away." He commanded.

Bubble Man nervously nodded and quickly ran off.

"So this guy is the so-rumored Shade Man…" Saiko smiled.

"I dunno what "Darkloids" are but beat 'em up!" Inukai commanded.

"Neon Light!"

"Wild Rush!"

Flash Man crouched and hit the ground to produce his "Neon Lights" while Beast Man projected his forearms: both attacks met the immobile SHade Man and caused some dust.

"They weren't anything special. Huh?" Flash Man shrugged.

"Red Wing!"

Several red bats flew out of the dust at top speed and hit the "Asteroids" like cutting objects, forcing them to shield their bodies.

"Hruh!"

Shade Man formed the lasers with his eyes and they hit Flash Man's left arm before the elbow, splitting it off: it broke down into data and warped to reform on the missing spot of Shade Man's left arm: he articulated it and grinned.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Flash Man! You jerk! Jumping Claw!"

Beast Man jumped into the air and tried to hit Shade Man but he merely caught the right forearm with his newly-gained left hand.

"What!"

"Oh… What a nice arm. I'll be taking it!"

Beast Man's right forearm suddenly broke down into data and then reformed on Shade Man's right arm.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Both "Asteroids" were on their knees and clutching their shoulders while being overwhelmed by the pain: Shade Man suddenly loomed over them with an indifferent look to him.

"Remember this: that both the foolish Cyber World and the whole of Earth belong to us "Darkloids"… HMPF!"

He gripped their heads and lifted them into the air with ease.

"Flash Man!"

"Beast Man!"

He began to apply pressure on their faces.

"Disappear!"

Both were retrieved into their PETs and Shade Man calmly lowered his newly gained arms.

"Bubble Man."

"Yikes! Puku!"

He rushed to his side and Shade Man turned.

"It's but a vision yet… But I remember… My past self was done in and deleted by Twilight… So what in the world was that "gate" I passed through…?" He wondered aloud.

_Bad, very bad, catastrophic!_

Freeze Man warped back into his base.

"I shall offer no apologies, sir, yet… I underestimated them: Shade Man's caught up and gained new arms too… He still doesn't know how he ended up here but…" Freeze Man apologized.

"Che. If not even Rock Man and Blues could beat him back then… This is gonna be a bother. Follow them and maybe we can make a truce with them to try to delete the guy somehow… Maybe by trapping them in a diamond and throwing the guy into a furnace would do… But it'd have to be a strong one to contain THE Shade Man… Otherwise the "Vaccine Chip" might remove his power-up… I'll think of something: find out where Rock Man and Blue are at… Now!" He commanded.

"Roger, Shuryou!"

22:10 PM (Utah Time), Friday October the 9th…

_Well. The preparations seem to be proceeding…_

The "Time – Space Tower" rumbled as some machines worked inside of it: the control center began to program what apparently was the pathway to use and which was displayed over an LCD screen.

"Given the results of Enzan – kun's investigation… The target is 20 years ago!" Yuuichirou commanded.

"Roger!"

The Cyber World section included a large machine hanging from the ceiling which quickly formed a large needle aiming downwards with a glowing blue stripe running down along its height: a metallic ring with an inner blue glowing band hovered close to its end.

"Anxious?" Blues asked.

"Not at all. But even if I say that… I'd be lying. But… I feel more excited than anxious, truth to be told. At checking up the Cyber World of 20 years ago…" Rock Man admitted.

"Heh. Truth is: I feel the same."

_It's good that they can be honest with each other._ "K. S." looked on.

"Time – Space Tower: Activate!"

"Time – Space Tower: Activate!" A technician confirmed.

The rods began to interconnect with streaks of bluish electricity forming atop them: they formed a circle surrounding the three huge cylinders which were the tower's foundations and gave way to a circle of bluish energy which began to spread across the diameter of the crater.

_Impressive!_

The circle then gave way to a blue transparent dome while a mass of energy formed on the very center of the crater and began to expand: it looked like jelly even but its colors were constantly shifting and mixing.

A reflection of the moon could be seen inside of it was it filled the width of the tower's central cylindrical shaft.

_Hum! Intriguing!_

Six curved metallic pieces with a blue rectangular stripe across their inner and outer faces descended from around the spheroid machine from which the needle protruded: the ring began to descend too and the needle elongated: the pieces fused to form a thick circle.

_Wow. Talk about cool technology._

The ring descended into the opening in the platform while Blues and Rock Man stood near the edge: they looked down to see that they were actually standing in a platform set several meters over a blackened hole built in the middle of some unstable energy-made terrain: a set of stairs down there too: the hole had an artificial edge with several indentations set there.

_That's the "Tunnel", I guess._

The ring stopped there and expanded: light illuminated the hole to reveal a vertical shaft heading downwards: its main color seemed to be orange yet it was filled with several irregular-shaped chunks of a grayish material spinning around its body plus patches of yellowish energy: a glowing white dot was present at the bottom of the shaft: the light climbed up to the edge and the dimmed.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! So that's how it was!"

Purplish energy converged right over the machine's ring in the form of a sphere and broke away to reveal Shade Man.

_What! They hadn't been deleted? _"K. S." gasped.

_Late! I'm late! _Freeze Man cursed.

"That's how it was, then!" He grinned.

"Shade Man!"

"They hadn't been deleted, then?" Blues cursed.

"Shade Man, you say!" Netto cursed.

"And coming at the worst possible time…!" Enzan hissed.

Rock Man tried to shoot but Shade Man quickly dived towards him and swung the right forearm: Rock Man gasped but Blues suddenly tackled him and let the blow land on his back instead: he was sent flying and hit the floor, hard, clutching his stomach area.

"Blues!"

Shade Man gripped Rock Man's helmet with the left forearm: Freeze Man formed his diamond daggers and they plunged into Shade Man who didn't seem to notice them: he lifted Rock Man into the air.

"Don't get in my way, you brat!"

His right fang glowed as he kept on crushing Rock Man's helmet: he brought Rock Man closer to him and suddenly _bit_ his left side of the neck.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto gasped in horror.

Shade Man tossed Rock Man in the ground and headed for the gap while chuckling.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… So as to build the world of the "Darkloids" within Earth once again… Let's go to the world of the past!"

Rock Man managed to open his eyes but his sight was blurry, out of focus, and moved around at wild.

"Shade Man…!"

Shade Man jumped feet-first into the shaft which surely was the "Past Tunnel" and vanished from sight.

"SHADE MAN – SAMA~! I'll come along too! Puku! PUKU~!"

Bubble Man ran across the room and jumped down too: energy began to form given the glow which the shaft emitted.

Rock Man gasped in fear and all humans had to shield their eyes from the intense glow being emitted by the monitors.

_Hell! My daggers were useless! _Freeze Man cursed.

A beam of white energy shot skywards all of a sudden while an expanding dome of energy engulfed the tower: a hissing or crackling sound rang out as the dome of energy wrecked the terrain and quickly expanded towards the control center encompassing the whole of the facilities: it died down as suddenly as it had begun and Rock Man struggled to lift his body while looking at Blues.

_We're still alive? _"K. S." gasped.

"Blues…"

"I'm fine…"

"What… was that?" Netto wondered.

Alarms rang out and the word "UNCONTROLABLE" popped out on the screens.

"Hakase! We can't stabilize the Time – Space, sir!"

"The reactions of the "Past Tunnel" are going mad!" Yuuichirou exclaimed.

"The reactions are going mad?" Netto asked.

"So that you can understand it… It means over-load! It was adjusted for just Rock Man and Blues to use it!"

"Hakase! An odd image is coming in!"

"Is it a "Past Vision"?"

"No, sir. It is nothing of the past… It's a _real-time_ image, sir! I'll display it on the monitor!"

Static initially filled the screen before it showed some creepy silhouettes with red eyes standing somewhere: the foreground had a ruined wall on it and the background some buildings: two "Nebula Dimensional Converters" were located close by too.

"Darkloid News! Puku! By now the numbers of "Darkloids" have greatly overcome those of humanity within 90% of the world! The ramps of humans who still live in a deep isolated spot of Ameroupe have no strength to oppose us! It'd seem that we already can picture the end of the war with humanity, having extended over 20 years! De puku!" Bubble Man's voice narrated.

Bubble Man planting a flag with his emblem amongst some ruins while accompanied by more silhouettes showed up on screen: they then gave way to images of rampaged cities the skies of which were covered by "Dimensional Areas": and they finally displayed a statue of Shade Man in the midst of some wrecked city which was illuminated by a thunderbolt's flash.

"What in the…" "K. S." cursed aloud.

"Freeze Man! What's going on?"

"Huh… No excuses, yet… Shade Man's used some system to jump 20 years back in time and seems to be trying to rewrite history! I've just seen a transmission claiming that!"

"But nothing's changed over here!" Gospel protested.

"I think that's because the "Tunnel" is still open and we're receiving the result of Shade Man's handiworks… But he hasn't been able to implement yet… I'm sorry: I'm blurting without thinking! Hum… Yes, I guess that the flow is going in both directions… Maybe if we followed Shade Man then we could stop them…" Freeze Man was trying to reason it.

"Huff. Time – travel and all that… I know it's got a lot of paradoxes linked to that and I'm not in the mood to try to have to figure them out live, anyway…" Gospel grumbled.

"What should I do, then, sir?"

"I'm not sure! But… If Shade Man wants complete victory he'll come to destroy this facility… Stay here and defend it! The world's at stake!"

"Roger, sir… Hell…! We're in trouble! Big trouble!"


	15. Chapter 14: Time Space War

**Chapter 14: Time – Space War**

22:40 PM (Utah Time), Friday October the 9th…

"… Ua~h…!"

Rock Man fell inside of the "Past Tunnel" while diving head-on and yelled in fear: the live feed screen showed symptoms of not working fine while the technicians were typing at a mad a speed into the keyboards.

"Make sure not to lose sight of Rock Man!" Dr. Hikari rallied.

The equipment frizzled.

"Saito - niisan!" Netto gasped.

The image flickered and was replaced by static.

"SAITO – NIISAN!"

Rock Man began to realize that the "Past Tunnel" didn't seem to have gravity and one could "fly" across it: some voices in different idioms echoed inside of the tunnel coming out of everywhere.

"The whole of humanity will be smashed by the leader of us "Darkloids", Shade Man – sama!"

A small sphere of light floated nearby and Rock Man noticed it.

"Ah! That's it!"

He entered the yellowish mass of energy and then found himself lying in the ground in front of a tower-like structure surrounded by a red sea: he managed to rise into his knees.

"The sea… I wonder if this the Cyber World from twenty years ago? For the time being… I gotta climb up…"

The technicians had managed to momentarily reconnect with Rock Man but the equipment was making odd noises.

"Rock Man seems to have arrived at the Cyber World of twenty years ago."

"But since Time – Space is unstable… And we don't know the arrival time of Shade Man… We'll have to more or less deduce it."

"Papa! The transmissions to niisan won't get through?"

"No good! The signal is too weak…" Yuuichirou muttered.

"Saito – niisan…"

The image flickered and vanished again: they all gasped.

_And my Navi can't go there either. So we're stuck here on the hope that the signal will come back. _"K. S." sighed.

The place looked like some sort of Internet City but with a design which reminded him more of a communications hub: Navis wandered up and down in conveyor belts while Rock Man walked alongside them.

"Excuse me! What year is it?"

The Navi made a small sound and kept moving.

"Do you know where Internet City is at?"

The same applied to the others: Rock Man then spotted a building with a big "Z" on the façade which looked like some sort of company.

"Rather old-style security… So that means that… Like I thought…"

"What do ya say that's old-styled?"

A big security Navi appeared behind him.

"Ah… That's…" He muttered.

"This bank has the newest type of security system installed on it: a cyber safe. It's unbreakable to any kind of hacker!"

"T-the newest type, he says…" Rock Man muttered to himself.

"What was that?"

"… No…! Thanks to this… I've clearly realized that this is twenty years ago… _Arigatou_, Oji – san!"

Rock Man ran off to the surprise of the Navi.

"What an odd kid."

Rock Man eyed a hub from where people picked conveyors for transport and observed the landscape from the top of a small building.

"I see… Twenty years ago the circuits were still rather overcrowded…"

A blue beam burst out of nowhere and an alarm beeped.

"The bank from before…!"

Three programs appeared inside of its electronic vault: they opened the vault and began to transfer the money out.

"A program which can act like an all-type-key… An access method which can't be traced… As long as I have both of these… I'm invincible!" The hacker was none other than Jackass himself.

Rock Man ran towards the building after having spotted the three columns of blue light.

"Those pillars are…! Guess they're intending to counter-attack the defenses by using some specialized access method! It amounts to trouble to my eyes!"

He stopped in front of the bank but various security Navis surrounded him.

"Eh…"

A policeman in a police station was typing into a computer in a slow manner: he seemed exasperated as if he was not used to typing into a keyboard.

"Ah! Jeez! Using Telephone Cards was a million light-years faster!" He exclaimed with obvious exasperation.

Rock Man was standing inside of a cage within the PC's Cyber World.

"Eh… "Light-year" is a definition adopted by astronomy in general which means that distance which lights covers in a year's time…!"

The man slammed the keyboard and the screen frizzled for a second.

"Shut the hell up!"

"E-excuse me."

"… Stupid Network Navigator…! Suddenly getting lecturing and mocking me! Shaddup!"

"Yes, sir…"

Rock Man examined his surroundings and muttered to himself.

"The hard disk is weak to vibrations…?"

"What the bloody heck? The police have to also interrogate Network Navigators too or what?" He grumbled.

"Inspector – san. Have you looked into the coordinates I provided you with?" Rock Man politely asked.

"Shut the trap! I'm the one doing the questions! Before the incident… It'd seem that you told the bank's Security Network Navigators about the level of the security…"

"Yes, sir…"

"What relation do you have with "Jackass"?"

"…"Jackass"…?" Rock Man asked.

"The safe-cracker Jackass: the guy ravaging across the Network with his unlocking program…"

"I don't know that person, sir. I'm chasing a "Darkloid" named "Shade Man"…"

"Shade Man? Is he a buddy of his?" The man frowned.

"That is wrong…"

"Inspector!"

An assistant came in.

"Hmmm?"

The assistant walked to the inspector and whispered something on his ear so he nodded.

"Is that so…? It's about the Ameroupe Army Network Navigator name "Colonel" which you mentioned… However…" He trailed off.

"You were able to contact him?" Rock Man asked.

"Such a Network Navigator doesn't exist at all! That's the Army's reply!"

"It'd seem Colonel's file is a military secret…" He muttered.

"It'd seem that I've turned the whole thing around!"

Rock Man sighed in defeat.

"Troublesome… I must hurry and locate Shade Man…" He grumbled.

Night fell and Jackass started a new attack.

"Heh."

The programs accessed a database somewhere and began to transfer the data to Jackass.

"Heh, heh, heh! If I sell these… I'll manage hundreds of profits!"

Colonel suddenly entered the system.

"That's a well-made cracking device, but… But your crimes stop here." He muttered.

Colonel stopped the transfer.

"Why is this guy there?"

He tried launching Trill Viruses to deal with him.

"He's trying to buy time! How clever! Hra~h!"

Colonel easily disposed of the Viruses and Jackass got nervous.

"Huh! If I keep at it then they'll figure out my location!

He aborted the transfer and tried to flee but spotted police vehicles waiting on the outside when opening the window.

"Crap!"

The door of the apartment burst open and some riot control policemen entered.

"You're under arrest for the crime of illegal access!"

They quickly reduced him and apprehended him.

"Don't struggle!"

Barrel came in next while looking dull and serious.

"Trying to go to the end of picking secret army information was your mistake."

Jackass merely scoffed under his breath while the Barrel took out a PET III and called Colonel back.

"Come back, Colonel."

"Yes, sir!"

Barrel came out and heard a car brake: Inspector Kitomar, the man interrogating Rock Man, showed up there.

"Kitomar: Police. Is that guy Jackass?"

He eyed how Jackass had been detained behind Barrel.

"That's true. Oh? I'm surprised the general police were able to get a hold of this hideout."

"Truth is… We've caught a suspicious Network Navigator. A bothersome blue-colored kiddo…"

"A blue Net Navi, you say?" Barrel seemed to recognize the description.

A cell phone beeped and Kitomar picked it up.

"Oh! Sorry."

He opened it and picked up the call.

"Me. Huh! What? The guy fled?"

Indeed: half of the cage had been disabled and a tunnel had been cut into the wall: Rock Man mingled with the Navis travelling along the conveyors and sighed.

"Netto – kun… I've become a fugitive…"

"A~H!"

Rock Man heard a shriek and spotted a Navi which had the same "Z" mark the bank had swinging a tool and looking like he was running berserk: Rock Man seized him from behind.

"You!"

Rock Man then spotted two round wounds which looked like from a bite on the Navi's left side of the neck and which were pulsating with purplish glows.

"Ah! These wounds…!"

His own wounds began to resonate with the others and he remembered about how Shade Man had bit him.

_You gotta be kidding me!_

A "Dark Aura" formed around both of them and the Navi roared before he broke down into raw data: the "Dark Aura" then entered his body through the earlier wound and he roared from the pain: it was completely absorbed and he collapsed face-down in the ground.

"… Darkloid News! Puku!"

Bubble Man could be seen riding a horse, wearing a cape, having medals on, and a standard with his emblem: armies of Bowl Men, Plant Men and Cut Men marched behind him.

"The humans in the battlefield are scared of the standard of the famed fierce general! The 472 members of Bubble Man's command…"

_Oh come on! That narrator voice is SO annoying! Put Plant Man as a narrator! That pitched up voice is SO annoying!_

"… Due to their merits in the King Land Battle… Today they will be granted the distinction of "Darkloid Champion"!"

Dr. Hikari brought his hand down into a button and cut the feed: "K. S." sighed in relief.

"Earth is still under the control of the "Darkloids"…!" Hunter grumbled.

"Six hours have passed since then…" Manabe muttered.

_Yes, I know. It's almost 5AM Utah Time…_

"It'll be alright. Rock Man's doing his best! He'll definitely return history to normal!"

_He'd better hurry. Shade Man won't take much longer to try to wreck this place… It'd be like in "Time's Ocarina"… The "Adult Timeline" and the "Child Timeline"… By sending "Link" back to the past with knowledge of the future, he closed the "Time Door" and altered the course of events thus creating a split… In our case, if Shade Man destroys the tower, then we can't write off that timeline by cutting off the source and making sure all changes are deleted and don't come to happen. _"K. S." reflected.

"How is it, Freeze Man?" Gospel asked.

"No luck, sir… The "Darkloids" keep on taunting us with the feeds of the "alternate history" but… No news of Rock Man, sir." Freeze Man reported while inside of the diamond.

"I see."

"I should have…" He began.

"What's done is done. No use crying over spilled milk."

"Roger, sir."

_Saito… You can do it! If only you could find Colonel… But I'm sure you'll find him! Do your best!_

"… Huh… Huh…"

A CD player (one of the old ones, with the needle) was playing a CD with a familiar tune inside of an apartment somewhere: Barrel was sitting in a wheeled chair and working with the computer: Rock Man was standing in the Cyber World inside of it and starting to wake up.

"You've woken up, Saito?"

"Barrel – san!"

_He must think that's Netto – kun's "friendly nickname" for me… Huh!_

He suddenly brought the right hand to his forehead.

"The effects of the "Dark Aura"… Sadly… There's no vaccine yet in this era."

"It was transferred from Shade Man… More importantly! Truth is: something terrible is happening to Earth's future!"

"I know that. Colonel has been checking the state of the future." Barrel replied as he looked at his PET III which had the crack it'd gotten back on the "Nebula Grey" incident.

"Colonel?"

Colonel appeared next to Rock Man.

"We must find Shade Man at once or else history can't be restored to normal."

"True! I have a clue, sir! A berserk city Navi had the same tooth-bites from Shade Man which I have! That Navi had this mark on his chest!"

He displayed the emblem: a black "Z" set over three vertical stripes (two red, one yellow) and having a bluish edge.

"Zefura Inc.'s mark…"

"Zefura Inc.?"

"The most important company in Net Navi industry… Let's check it out."

Barrel drove a red military vehicle across a road while Rock Man and Colonel chatted.

"This age's Cyber World even has a sea…"

"Sea? Ah! That ain't a sea. That's the spurge of the Cyber World… A bug which gained volume like vomits…"

"A bug?"

"One month ago… Given the failure of Wily's trial of the "Spectrum" experiment… A crack in the Cyber World was washed over… A bug was blown up… If you fall there you're done for. You don't surface again. An endless edge." Colonel explained.

"… I don't know if it had any relation to the incident but…"

"I don't mind."

Barrel was interviewing a younger Ijuuin Shuuseki.

"Truth is… 3 days ago… One spot of the Network Navigator Production Factory was pointed out…"

"Pointed out?" Barrel asked.

"The source is unknown but… Within the factory's Cyber World… A large amount of bubbles had sprouted there…"

"Bubbles..?"

"It's Bubble Man!"

Barrel took out the PET and Ijuuin Sr. looked intrigued.

"Oh? You hold a curious PET, sir. May I have a look?"

"It's a military secret." He smiled.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed.

Ijuuin Sr. then rode in an elevator along with an assistant.

"I couldn't see a cable to use a Plug – In system yet… It couldn't be, right."

06:13 AM (Utah Time)…

"… "Dimensional Converters" have appeared!"

"The "Darkloids"!"

A technician reported the bad news and Enzan glanced at the Navi restoration machine behind him.

"Blues!"

"Yes, Enzan – sama."

Indeed: tons of "DCs" had formed and Bubble Man had gathered his army on the opposite edge of the crater: it included Spark Men too.

"… We've detected remains of humans inside of this ridge desert! De puku… Attack! Puku!"

_They've come! _"K. S." grumbled.

"They've come, Shuryou!"

"Fight them! Don't mind it if your attacks are seen! You should be able to materialize them: you know that! And they surely are cheap copies anyway." Gospel commanded.

"… Plug In!"

Barrel attached an adapter to a spheroid-shaped computer terminal somewhere.

"Colonel, Rock Man! Transmission!"

Both came into the Cyber World and were greeted by the bubbles including a pool.

"They're close by!" Colonel deduced.

"… Shade Man – sama!"

Bubble Man brought forth the news to Shade Man, who was sitting in the armchair within a recreation of the "Darkloid" castle, and having a cloak covering his body: Bubble Man wore a cloak too.

"Trouble! Puku! Rock Man showed up! Puku!"

"Don't panic. Heh."

Rock Man and Colonel shattered a glass ceiling and dropped inside of a room having a huge cylindrical structure in the middle of its width: they landed and looked around.

"What's this?" Colonel wondered.

"A missile…!" Barrel spotted.

"Huh!"

"Saito!"

Rock Man's wounds began to resonate and Shade Man's eyes opened somewhere before they turned into reddish dots: the same happened to Rock Man's eyes before it dimmed but his glare was now rather hostile: he glanced at Colonel and pushed him away with his right hand: he hit the wall.

"What are you doing, Rock Man!"

The berserk Rock Man formed a smug face as he drew the Rock Buster and shot at Colonel: the glow forced Barrel to close his eyes.

"Saito…!"

The control center's screens displayed the "Darkloids" forming outside of the compound.

"Battle Chip, Meteors! Slot In!" Hunter exclaimed.

A rain of meteors fell into the field and blew up some enemies: Freeze Man formed his "Ice Towers" which came out of beneath the ground and plunged through their bodies, lifting them and deleting them, too: he chuckled.

"Battle Chip, Tsunami Hole! Slot In!"

Several Burner Men gasped in horror as a tsunami loomed over their numbers and obviously deleted them.

"… Neo Variable Sword!"

"CF" Blues was fighting a pack of Sword Men: he dashed across the air and blew up several of them in a row: an army of Bowl Men stepped in next and Netto cursed.

"Heck! There are too many of them!"

"We've picked up Rock Man's signal!"

"Huh? Huh! Saito – niisan!"

Netto looked on with disbelief at how the berserk Rock Man was attacking Colonel who dodged.

"Listen! He's gone totally mad because of the "Dark Aura"!" Colonel warned them.

"Saito – niisan… Ah! The "Vaccine Chip"!"

"Huh?" Yuuichirou snapped out of his thoughts.

"I know it isn't decisive against "Dark Auras"! But! If we could momentarily make niisan regain his sanity then…!"

"Good! Gotcha! But to transfer the "Vaccine Chip" we gotta do it from inside of the "Time – Space Tower"!"

"Yeah."

"Activate the "Time – Space Tower" when I give the order and please open the "Past Gate"."

"Yes, sir."

An explosion rang out and then a red jeep landed on the bridge: a Bowl Man jumped and landed atop the engine all of a sudden but "CF" Blues flipped across the air and struck the enemy, making them be deleted, while he landed on the ground.

"Enzan!" Netto gasped in relief.

"Battle Chip, Ice Seed! Slot In!"

The berserk Rock Man was trapped inside of a mass of ice: Colonel sighed in relief.

"Forgive me, Rock Man."

Some bats suddenly popped out and momentarily flew around him before they headed for another spot and gave way to Shade Man.

"Shade Man!"

"Crush Noise!"

Colonel dodged but it hit the mass of ice instead: it began to crack while Colonel clashed sword against Beast Man's forearm.

"Rock Buster!"

Both dodged and Colonel nervously glanced at the berserk Rock Man: he made a smug smile.

"Heh, heh."

The "Darkloids" continued their advance.

"… Time – Space Tower: Activate!"

"Roger!"

The insides of the tower were a simple device hanging from the ceiling and heading inside of a shaft directly over the core of the crater, similar to the Cyber World setup: a mass of energy was glowing in very center and Netto had climbed into the machine: a small catwalk connected it with the main floor and a console was set close by, which Yuuichirou was working with: the main device also had a screen on its body.

_Let's hope we can stop that rampage! _"K. S." nervously thought.

A beam of light shot skywards from the Cyber World and also from the real world: Netto inserted a device on a slot.

"Vaccine Chip: Standby!"

He began to input commands into a keyboard.

"Niisan… I gotta save niisan!"

The screen displayed a lock-on mark which was trying to get a hold of the berserk Rock Man as they fought with Colonel: the image was suddenly filled with static.

"Heck!"

"Crush Noise!"

"Rock Buster!"

Colonel was getting overwhelmed and Netto was typing in the keyboard while sweating: the image began to get clear and the lock-on mark was about to meet its target.

_Another little bit…!_

Shade Man grabbed Colonel's head and squeezed it while lifting it up: Colonel roared.

"Do it, Rock Man." He ordered.

"Heh, heh, heh."

The berserk Rock Man began to load a "Charge Shot" while the mark finally locked on them.

"NOW! Vaccine Chip: Slot In!"

Netto inserted the "Vaccine Chip" and a thin beam of light show into the tunnel, came down from the above, and hit Rock Man just as he fired: Barrel and Colonel gasped while Shade Man uttered something: Rock Man brought the right hand to his neck and lowered the weapon: his eyes displayed that he'd regained his sanity.

_Good! Good! _

Shade Man grumbled since the shot had hit the cloak and made a hole on it: he let go of Colonel and wildly stumbled back as if he'd lost his balance: he managed to stay on his two feet.

_Are you surprised, you savage?_

"Huh… Huh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… I won't die."

The area rumbled and both looked at how the missile turned on: Shade Man tossed the cloak away and revealed that he was missing his chest emblem: raw data could be seen inside of his chest cavity.

"You lowlife…!" Colonel hissed.

"Inside of that missile… My "Darkloid Factors" are installed on it…"

_Shade Man had ripped the emblem and clutched it with his right hand a while ago._

"What!"

"The missile will spread the "Darkloid Factors" across the Cyber World… And turn all Net Navis across the world into "Darkloids" at the same instant…"

"You lowlife…!" Colonel was pissed off by now.

"A magnificent "Darkloid" army… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

He sat on the ground and chuckled as his body began to delete from the self-inflicted damage.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

The missile began to lift-off and Rock Man looked anxious: he suddenly jumped into its body and attached to the upper stage.

"Rock Man!" Colonel called out.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto gasped.

The missile drew an arch over the "sea" and Rock Man held into it somehow: the lower stage was detached and the second stage's engines came on: the covers jumped away to reveal purple-colored "Dimensional Converters" which were spread out using extendable arms: they began to frizzle with energy.

"If the missile just explodes then…!"

He could picture it: armies of "Darkloids" marching and glorious statues of Shade Man standing there and there.

"History won't return to normal!

He drew the Rock Buster and looked downwards at the engines: he spotted the "sea" and gasped.

"No good! I won't reach from here! Huh!"

"_You don't surface again. An endless edge."_

He lowered his gaze.

"Netto – kun… Otouto…"

He jumped away from the missile and shot at it from below: the blow hit the engines and then cracks spread across the missile's body: it exploded and the shockwave pushed Rock Man into the "sea" along with some of the debris.

"Hra~h!"

"CF" Blues sliced a copy Cut Man and he was deleted: all of the other "Darkloids" (Snake Men and Drill Men included) deleted alone too: "CF" Blues gasped.

_We did it? _Freeze Man wondered.

The "Darkloids" attacking the control center were also deleted and all others spread across the crater too: even the "Dimensional Converters" were erased.

"The "Darkloids" are vanishing!" Hunter exclaimed.

"History has returned to normal, then!" Manabe realized.

"Strike! Puku!"

The horse walked past the "general" Bubble Man and he hovered in the air as he began to get deleted too.

"I'm d-disappearing! Puku!"

Rock Man was sinking into the "sea" while being unconscious: the control center staff managed to locate him.

"We've detected Rock Man!"

"Niisan!"

"Transfer him ASAP!"

Rock Man was transferred into the "Past Tunnel" and then a "figure" surrounded by a purplish light flew towards him from upwards: they then hovered over him: Rock Man reacted to the light and opened his eyes in a slow manner as if he was sluggish.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The "Dark Aura" inside of him began to pour out and spread in the form of an irregular mass of energy between him and the figure: two eyes with purple irises formed there and then gave way to an image of the right side of his face with red irises: the "reflection" formed a smug smile.

"Hmpf."

They vanished and Rock Man slowly closed his eyes from the tiredness: the "figure" formed a sphere the size of a soccer ball and the "Dark Aura" flew inside of it before they began to flow away.

"_Happy dreams, my half-brother_." They whispered in a soft and totally sarcastic tone of voice.

_Oh heck. Don't tell me that was who I think it was. _"K. S." suddenly cursed under his breath.

They flew out of sight and Rock Man fell into the end of tunnel to then re-appear inside of Netto's PET III.

"Saito – niisan!"

"Netto – kun." Barrel's voice called out.

"Barrel – san?"

"Seems like history's back to normal…"

The PET screen only displayed static.

"Thank you. You helped us again."

"But, Netto – kun… Duo's trial is still waiting for us."

"Duo's…?"

"True. I'm also one of those granted Duo's trial."

"Barrel – san has "Duo's Crest" too?" He guessed.

"Whatever Duo is going to do….My future self wasn't able to tell me that much."

"… "My future self"…?"

His image now came in: a Time – Space distortion surrounded him and he had a serious face to him.

"It's dangerous for the past me to know too much about the future's happenings. My future self linked all data with info of the latest events with this newest-model PET… Netto – kun. You must find and gather the companions."

"The companions…?" Netto asked.

"Gather the companions who own "Duo's Crest"…!" He commanded before his line was filled with static.

"Barrel – san! Barrel – san!" Netto called out.

Netto looked at the comet flowing through the skies as dawn began to emerge into the crater.

_Hey… Could the reason why the "present" Barrel Tai – sa aged so quickly be a side-effect of wanting to travel back into the past? And from the talk of it both could communicate with each other… What paradoxes! But I'm worried about that "figure"… Let devil bite me if I don't know their voice… What are they going to do? But, more importantly… How many "companions" do we have to find? It's too early to know…!_


	16. Chapter 15: Another Rock Man

**Chapter 15: Another Rock Man**

22:42 PM (Japan Time), Thursday October the 15th…

"... I hate him for no reason at all…"

Four streams of purple-colored data were gathering within that purple-colored copy of the Milky Way galaxy deep in the Reverse Cyber World.

"That's why I'll destroy his everything. However! I'll make him suffer a more painful death… I mean you… Hikari Saito."

Two red eyes opened in the midst of the grayness and a figure surrounded by a sphere of purple light came out: they then faded away.

"… Huh…"

Roll was alone and standing in a ruined part of the Cyber World when Number Man, Aqua Man and Ice Man warped in: she turned around to greet, but stopped.

"Number Man, Ice Man, Aqua Man… Why have you come here?"

"Why did Roll – san come?" Ice Man asked.

"Could it be that you were also contacted by _him_?" Number Man asked.

"Then… You guys were contacted as well?"

"Yeah. "I'd like for us to gather immediately"…" Number Man quoted.

A footstep was heard nearby and Rock Man came into the area.

"Rock Man!" Number Man greeted.

"Sorry, sorry! I'm late!" He apologized.

"What do you want, Rock Man, by gathering us so late into the night?"

"Has some case sprouted?" Ice Man asked.

"No. It's not anything out of the ordinary. Heh, heh." Rock Man replied.

He formed his Rock Buster and everyone was frozen in place and shot while the light reflected on his face

17:55 PM (Japan Time), Friday October the 16th…

"… Netto - kun, otouto… There's a little something I'd like to talk with you about but…"

"… Eh? You've dreamt something? That's impossible, niisan!"

Rock Man was talking with Netto about something while at home: Netto looked skeptical while Rock Man sounded nervous.

"Hum… I thought so…" Rock Man looked worried over something.

"Hah, hah, hah! Obviously! Net Navis can't dream to begin with!"

_A dream…? And, anyway… We've been rather busy since Shade Man's return… First the "Neo WWW" tried to steal some totem and Mr. Dingo stood up to them with the help of the gentlemen… He was marked by "Duo's Crest" as well… Another plot involving the aquarium's dolphins being used by Inukai Takeo as ways to smuggle "Dark Chips" was solved with the help of Ms. Jasmine and she'd been granted "Duo's Crest" too… Some odd contest Tesla Magnets intruded and messed around before fleeing: she and Mr. Airstair had "Duo's Crest" too… 3 new "companions" have been revealed but it's hard to see how they'll "gather" taking into account Mr. Barrel lives in the past and that Tesla Magnets is our enemy…_

"But I saw it! And it was a totally fearsome nightmare!"

_He'd shot at the Navis and they'd collapsed on the ground while he'd looked on with an amused look._

"It was a _real_ dream… I'm glad it was but a dream…" He trailed off and sighed in relief.

"Saito – niisan… Oh! I know!"

Netto firstly looked worried but suddenly turned cheery when he took out a peculiar Chip.

"Higure – san's self-made Navi Repair Chip…! He lent it to me to check it out!" Netto grinned.

"EH? Higure – san made it?" Rock Man sounded nervous now.

"Let's test it out! It's Higure – san's custom-made Repair Chip!"

"Ah! W-wait a min, otouto!"

"Slot In!"

"OTOUTO!"

There was a frizzle and an explosion: Rock Man was suddenly covered in band – aids and a big one was muffling his voice: he blushed.

"W-what the devil is this?"

Rock Man ripped the big band-aid from his face.

"… Hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah! Sorry, sorry! As I thought: it was a bluff! Hah, hah, hah! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

Rock Man removed all of the band-aids except for a small one which remained on his back near the right hip.

"JEEZ! That was horrible of you, Netto – kun! Taking profit of that moment…!" Rock Man grumbled while giving him the back.

"Heh, heh, heh… L-looks cool… Guess I'll keep it a secret…"

_These jokes are pointless._ "K. S." was far from amused.

Netto walked towards the Science Labs a while later: "K. S." got ahead of him and rushed into a small office room in the first floor.

"I'm sorry for laughing at that… Please be easy on me!" Netto was pleading.

"Hmm…" Saito had crossed his arms and looked offended.

"I'm really worried about you! So if we have the Science Labs run a checking up we'll find out the source of that!"

He entered the foyer of the repairs lab and was surprised to find Meiru, Hikawa, Higure and Shuuko there.

"Huh? Meiru – chan, Higure – san and co.?"

"Ah! Netto." Meiru greeted.

"Netto - kun…" Higure looked uneasy.

"What are you doing here of all places?" Netto asked.

"Roll and the others were assaulted by someone last evening…" Meiru replied.

"They were found to be almost deleted! De masu…"

"What did you say?" Netto was shocked.

_Ah! Cousin's handiworks? Or those clowns? I wouldn't be surprised if Cousin steeped THAT low. _"K. S." looked suspicious.

Rock Man got inside of the diagnostics and repair computers and looked at how the other Navis were being repaired.

"Meijin – san. What's the repairs' status?"

"Be relieved. We'll able to repair it somehow even though the data damage was pretty bad." Meijin replied.

"I'm glad to hear it…"

"But… Who'd do such a horrible thing?" Netto wondered aloud.

"We'll know when their consciousnesses return."

Rock Man sighed and remembered the nightmare: he opened his eyes wide in shock.

"Meijin – san. You still haven't tackled my problem."

"You mean Rock Man's "dream"? The probabilities include an undetected system error or a Virus infection. Well… We'll know ASAP if we do a scan."

"But I think you're busy today…" Netto replied.

"It's no big deal. It might take until night so just go wait at home."

"Hah, hah! _Arigatou! _Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iranai._ Huh?"

Meijin eyed the remaining band – aid: he initially frowned and then muffled his chuckle.

"Heh… Heh… T-this is… very interesting."

"Ain't it, ain't it? Leave it as it is!"

"Roger!"

"Isn't that good, Rock Man? They'll be able to examine you ASAP."

Rock Man was giving him the back.

_Saito – niisan? Did you hear me? Oe!_

_Huh? Eh… Ah… Yeah…_

"Please go ahead, Meijin – san!"

"_San wa iran…ai…_" Meijin was having trouble repressing the laughter with his hands.

Roll's repairs continued.

_I don't like this kidding around: this could be serious._

"… I wonder if Saito – niisan's alright…"

Netto was sitting inside of his house while was leaning back on his chair and having a pencil on top of his nose.

"Scan: completed."

The scan was carried out by the Science Labs: it came out clean given the text "OK: the inspection was completed" which popped out.

"No abnormalities. Rock Man: you can already go back."

"Ah… Yes, sir!"

"I completely scanned your whole programming, but there was no bug, no system error and no Virus infection. Your health is fine. Head back and give your otouto the good news."

"Yes, sir! Thanks a lot! Meijin – san!" He smiled.

"_San wa iranai_, I always say.._._" Meijin smiled.

Rock Man was flying through a connecting tunnel.

"But… If there weren't any abnormalities then… What was that dream…?"

Rock Man frowned when seeing a strange purple mass flying towards him: it hit him and he fell towards somewhere.

"T-this is… UA~H!"

"AH!"

Netto sat up all of a sudden and the pencil fell to the ground: he closed his right first in front of his chest.

"Niisan…"

"I'm home, Netto – kun!" Rock Man announced as he appeared on the PET's screen.

"Niisan! So you're alright?" Netto asked.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He sounded slightly surprised.

"No! Nothing! So… What was the examination's result?" Netto asked with a smile.

"…"There's nothing weird anywhere"…" He quoted.

"I see! That's nice to see, niisan."

"I'm sorry to have worried you, otouto." He apologized.

"That's fine! As long as you're fine…" Netto smiled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

_Well. Maybe it wasn't that much of a deal anyway… It could be some inner fear or subconscious thing… But… Duo and Slur have been quiet! We haven't had any more "Asteroids" ever since Drill Man. Maybe they're just sitting back and seeing what the "Neo WWW Asteroids" do instead? Did they not care about what happened during the "Nebula Grey" incident either? Anyway… Let's go back._

07:42 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 17th…

"… A~H! I overslept!"

Netto was hurrying to the school and he was nervously waiting for a traffic light to change.

"Crap, crap! Mariko – sensei will be mad if I come late! Hurry up and turn blue! Turn blue~!" He muttered.

"Netto – kun! Plug me into the signal!" Rock Man told him.

"Eh? Why do you want to do this now?" Netto asked.

"I'll be fine: hurry it up!"

"Huh… I get it. Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Rock Man entered the signal circuitry and smiled as he drew his Rock buster.

"Heh, heh!"

He charged it up a bit and shot at the "Core Block": the light suddenly turned red and some cars crashed into each other, causing a mass accident: Netto was horrified.

"Netto – kun! It's turned blue!" He reported.

The pedestrian sign changed to blue.

"Eh? Oh! I see!"

He ran towards school as all traffic lights suddenly turned red and all pedestrian lights turned blue.

"Rock Man! Is this your handiwork?" He questioned.

"Hurry it up! You're late!"

Netto reached the school gates at five past eight: they were closed.

"The school's closed… Today's a Saturday…" He sighed and hung his head down as dust swept the area.

"Heh, heh, heh! I thought it was odd! It was mysterious that you'd bother to go to the school!" Rock Man commented.

_He's acting odd. Some bug? _"K. S." frowned

"Then you should've told me when I was at home!" Netto protested.

"I can't do that! I can't stop what Netto – kun does in his manner!"

Netto frowned and looked perplexed.

_What does this mean, niisan? _

There was no response: Netto felt the "echo" of the link but it was weak.

_What… He doesn't want to discuss it between us two? Something has gotten onto him ever since yesterday._

He shrugged it off and walked around the district.

"Hey, Rock Man… It's about that of the traffic light a while ago… You were really overdoing it!" Netto told him.

"But since Netto – kun was troubled then it had to be done."

"Hmmm… Somehow… I think that's wrong, but…"

Netto's stomach grumbled.

"Ah! I'm so hungry… I didn't eat the breakfast, so I feel hungry…!"

He eyed various stores around the area.

"But I didn't bring my wallet along… Oh… Man…" He sighed again.

"Netto – kun! Plug me "In" once again! I'll handle it from that shovel."

"Huh? What are you going to do?" Netto questioned.

"Leave it to me!" He replied.

"I don't totally get it, but… Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

The excavator turned on, to Netto's and the people's surprise.

"Huh? Where are you going to, niisan?" He wondered.

It headed for a nearby bank.

"The bank… It couldn't be!" Netto gasped.

_That's impossible! _"K. S." inwardly gasped from close by.

The excavator broke through the front doors and Netto gasped in horror as it ripped an ATM machine from the wall and picked a load of bank notes: the police headed towards the scene: Yuriko mixed with the crowd and seemed to be eyeing the situation and she had a serious look to her as if she smelled that there was more to the deal.

_Ms. Yuriko's back! And she seems to smell something. Does she own a hint? Huh? Ah! The Science Labs "tag"… The Navis have awakened!_

The repairs machine stopped: Roll and the others awakened.

"Oh! They have opened their eyes, de masu!" Higure exclaimed.

"Roll!" Meiru called out.

"I… What was I…?"

She suddenly gasped and began to cry.

"Ah! Rock Man! Where's Rock Man?"

The Operators didn't reply.

"… Netto – kun! Otouto!"

Rock Man was standing in a Cyber World somewhere: a cage formed around him all of a sudden.

"This is horrible, Netto – kun! Manabe – san! What have I done?"

"I can't believe it…" Manabe looked crestfallen.

Netto, standing beside her, also looked worried.

"Rock Man robbing a bank…!" She muttered.

"I can't either…" Netto muttered while closing a fist.

_Wrong! This isn't normal! _

"I did it for Netto – kun's sake! I didn't do anything bad! Let me out! Let me out of here!" He protested.

Rock Man began to shoot around at wild while Netto looked nervous: the situation was being observed by a security camera.

"Stop it already, niisan!"

Needle Man eyed the situation via the camera while leaning his back on a wall and glancing behind it: he looked nervous but failed to see the Navi of "K. S." looking close by too.

"This ain't a normal thing." He muttered aloud.

"Looks like it… Needle Man: continue the surveillance." Yuriko told him.

"Roger."

"Dr. Wily's daughter… Heh, heh, heh…" A man close by muttered.

"… Let me out! Lemme out!" Rock Man kept on shooting at the cage.

"Niisan…" Netto looked about to cry.

"Like that… Roll and others were shot like that." Meiru said.

Netto turned to see the group from before with Meijin.

"Eh? Meijin – san? Meiru – chan? Higure – san…?" He trailed off.

"Netto – kun. Roll and the others awakened. They identified the Navi who attacked them… It was Rock Man." He reported.

"That's gotta be a lie!" Netto gasped in horror.

"Roll said it… Rock Man was the one who shot them."

"The data of the culprit recorded by Number Man has been double-checked at the Science Labs, de masu…" Higure muttered.

"There's no room for mistakes… Rock Man was the culprit."

Netto cried in agony as he pictured "Rock Man" laughing at his crime.

"W-what the hell…? What's happened? SAITO – NIISA~N!"

21:03 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Why did it end up like this…?"

Netto was sitting on a chair inside of a waiting room when the door opened: Manabe and Meijin walked in.

"Manabe – san… What'll happen to niisan…?"

"The official trial is yet to take place but… He'll probably end up at the Navi Prison."

"That can't be!" He closed his eyes.

"… If there's something you want to talk about with Rock Man… Do it now…" Meijin sighed.

Netto entered a room in which a tall holographic capsule was placed at: Rock Man's hologram was being displayed there.

"Niisan…"

"I've heard it from Meijin - san… Papa, my severe creator… He said that it's impossible for current technology to restore or repair him…"

Netto merely nodded to show he was following.

"Netto – kun… I have a request… You… must delete me." He slowly requested as he hid his gaze with the helmet's shade.

"AH! W-what are you saying, Saito – niisan?" He questioned as he leant one hand on the capsule's wall.

"I don't want to end up in Navi Prison!" He replied.

Rock Man began to cry and he hid his eyes with his hands.

"So… Let me be deleted by Netto – kun's hands …"

Netto's hand was trembling and he clenched a fist.

_He's my BROTHER…! My TWIN BROTHER…! I can't KILL MY TWIN BROTHER! What has gotten into him? I'd be a MURDERER, then! I won't let Papa's effort to keep niisan alive be in vain! _

Netto hit the capsule with his palm in anger.

"Don't joke around! I can't do that! You're my twin big brother!"

"You can!"

Rock Man put his palm in front of that of Netto's.

"If we're brothers, then… Then we have our "friendship"...!"

Rock Man cried as well before he turned around and kept on crying.

_What the hell is that…? Are you really Saito – niisan?_

Netto suddenly gasped: the band – aid wasn't there.

_Ah! Evidence! EVIDENCE! I knew it! This couldn't be him! COUSIN! TRIPLE CURSE YOUR HIDE~! You tried to defeat them by splitting them apart and turning everyone against them? YOU COWARD! _"K. S." violently stood up from a chair and brought his fists down on the desk making his laptop rattle.

_This guy… He's not Saito – niisan! He wouldn't want me to kill him! He wouldn't become a criminal!_

"That's how it was, then! You're twisting "friendship"! You can't know the meaning of "brother"! You're not the Saito – niisan I know! Who the hell are you?" Netto yelled after having walked back some steps.

_Cousin's newest DIRTY AND COWARDLY TRICK! _"K. S." inwardly hissed as he articulated his hands as if he wanted to strangle someone.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The fake stopped his act and laughed.

"Netto – kun… I'll show you a very interesting thing."

The whole building shook as lights, computers and other stuff blew up all of a sudden.

"W-What? What's going on?" Manabe wondered inside of her office.

The whole Net Police HQ rumbled.

"… The enemy is on the move!"

Yuriko ran towards the Net Police HQ but she was unaware that she was being followed by the unidentified man.

"So it'd seem."

The only light in the room was the glow of the holographic capsule: some wires came out of an air duct and embed in various parts of the ground.

"You're…!" Netto exclaimed.

"Umbra." The fake announced.

"As I thought… You were a fake, then!" Netto exclaimed.

"I'm not a fake. Saito and I are completely identical. However! My concept of "friendship" is a world apart from his." He corrected in a calm and cool tone of voice.

"Where's Saito - niisan? Where is he at?" Netto demanded.

"Here he is."

A holographic screen showed Rock Man, the _real one_, fighting somewhere within the Cyber World: he was covered in bruises.

"Saito – niisan!" Netto exclaimed.

"He's doing his best, but I'd dare to say that he's done for..." Umbra looked and sounded amused.

A "Darkloid" appeared in front of Rock Man.

He appeared to be close to two meters tall and he had a commanding look to him.

Four lines converged on his forehead where a small diamond was set and the head's upper portion was exposed and it had the typical black "skin" over it.

His eyes were simply black and surrounded by skin while his nose and mouth were covered by a thin layer of golden armor.

Most of his upper torso was encompassed by golden-colored armor which also covered the shoulders: it ended around the chest where the emblem was set at: it was a blue star drawn against a pitch black colored background.

The design of the armor included two thick white lines emerging NW and NE from his emblem and curving as they ran parallel to the neck and past the shoulders: another two thin blue lines formed from the east and west sides of the emblem and climbed upwards thus diving the armor into two uneven portions: the lower one was short in length while the upper one was larger.

The armor also covered both sides of the neck and continued above the head where it expanded into two ear-like extensions having blue round dome-like pads.

The arms had a blue ring around the elbow and each ring was complemented by fin-shaped extensions aiming upwards towards the shoulders.

A pale blue transparent ring was also set atop each wrist and the wrists had blue armor covering them: the fingers were also covered by the golden armor.

Two thick white lines extended from above the end of those diamonds and travelled towards the lower torso area until they met an oval-shaped object with a brown edge and metallic interior: two small rectangles were drawn on the north and south edges, too.

Another two thick lines came out from the NW and NE edges and met the chest emblem by connecting the SW and SE edges, too.

A large blue transparent ring was set around his body in a 45º angle and aiming to the SE from around the same height as the right shoulder until the left forearm.

The plain black-skinned feet (the fingers of which couldn't be seen) had blue armor on their ankles as well and a golden-colored diamond-like object set slightly above the ankle.

This object had a blue-colored triangle-like pattern aiming upwards set slightly above of the spot where they began at.

"Cosmo Man." He introduced.

A second "Darkloid" showed up at the left of Cosmo Man.

This newcomer "Darkloid" was about 10cm shorter in height than Cosmo Man.

His helmet design was peculiar: the central part was colored red while the sides were colored blue: the sides extended upwards and formed a shape reminiscent of "horns" while his eyes' irises' color was purple.

His upper torso had two red plaques of armor over his usual blue armor: his shoulders and arms before the elbow were exposed, revealing the black "skin".

His forearms design included a gray-colored fund extending from around the elbow until the palm: a yellow diamond-shaped object was set in top of each palm plus a small blue-colored piece reminiscent of a bird's elongated wings: his fingers were covered in white "gloves".

Two blue wings with some vertical white stripes on them formed behind of his body as well.

The sides of his main body were colored black together with a thin red stripe which marked the border with the central body, colored white as well.

His boots began around the knees and were colored navy blue: they ended in two-fingered feet which seemed to be a bird's talons.

His emblem, drawn into his ear pads, was a blue-colored bird's silhouette as seen from the sides: its wings were open in a 45º angle and the drawing seemed to suggest movement.

"Swallow Man."

_Huh…! Che! Those are new-gen "Darkloids"…! And they surely obey this fake…! "Umbra"… "Shade"… Now you wanna play the Latinisms guy?_

A third "Darkloid" showed up next: he didn't seem to be much taller than a meter and fifty.

His eyes' irises were red as well and he had two red ear pads: a ski cap was being worn atop his head and it had a blue band slightly above the forehead: the rest of it was colored orange.

His main body was round and both his arms and legs were short: he had green skies attached to his blue ski boots' soils.

The shoulders, on the other hand, were colored sea blue and his forearms had an orange rim at their start: his hands were covered in the classical white "skin" as well and held two ski sticks with an orange handle.

His upper body was colored orange until slightly beneath the chest emblem: there it formed a pattern reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "M" and colored sea blue: his lower body was colored white.

The chest emblem had a red rim and the drawing a white-colored snowman's silhouette without nose, mouth or eyes: the rest of the emblem was colored black and so were his arms and legs.

"Blizzard Man."

And a _fourth_ "Darkloid" appeared there next: he stood out because his lower body was a grayish cloud and he had no legs: his upper body had a mix of magenta and orange coloring.

His head had an orange helmet with the Alphabet letter "U" set on its forehead plus a spike having a small gray cloud over it: the helmet created a shade-like effect around his eyes, the irises of which were blood red as well: the rest of his face was gray in color.

His shoulders and forearms were colored orange while the skin was black while a magenta ring was set slightly above each wrist, too and to small wing-like objects with three indentations on it and colored white emerged from the sides of his shoulders.

An arrow-like object was set over the hand and the forearms: its border was colored white.

His torso had three white stripes below the chest which only occupied about the center section of it: his emblem was set slightly beneath them and it depicted a single cloud set against a blackish background and having a white rim.

He had an open vest-like drawing over the sides of his torso which began above the shoulders and reached past the lower torso where his emblem was at: the vest's border was colored in a goldenrod color.

Each side also had a cloud-shaped drawing slightly above where the three stripes began at: two button drawings were set between his neck and the stripes.

"Cloud Man."

_What! A quartet! Cousin! You lowlife!_

"He's kept on fighting those 4 "Darkloids" with just the "Rock Buster"…"

_That's unfair and cowardly!_

"I should be considered more ready than Saito… In short: I intended to have him by being deleted through Netto – kun's actions yet…"

"What'd you say…?"

"… At the moment when Netto – kun would dispose of me along with the PET… He and I would switch places. But… It'd seem that ended up failing…"

"So that the dream niisan had…!"

"I inserted the data so as to have him get away from Netto – kun and so that I could switch places with him…"

"Why are you doing that?"

"I hate him, you see. I hate Saito."

"Hate…? That's the reason?" Netto made a grimace.

_That surely is true but that's because of Cousin's messing. Che! Show your face, you triple-accursed COWARD!_

"The strategy failed but… There'll be no tomorrow for Saito!"

His color palette suddenly changed to purple and he revealed how his eyes' irises were red in coloring: Netto gasped and stepped back.

"… Cosmo Buster!"

Cosmo Man formed some planetoids with rings surrounding them and shot them in a row.

"Swallow… Cutter!"

Swallow Man formed a small bluish swallow which flew forward.

"Snow Rolling!"

Blizzard Man summoned a ball of snow which he kicked away with his right ski.

"Cloud Thunder!"

Cosmo Man spawned a cloud frizzling with electricity which then shot an electrical spheroid: all attacks hit Rock Man.

"UA~H!"

Cloud Man gripped him with the right hand and began to squeeze while Rock Man tried to pull free.

"You can't be deleted yet. Experience pain and suffering!"

"Saito – niisan!"

"_Sayounara_, Netto – kun!"

Umbra made the capsule explode and a mass of cables fell from an AC duct heading for Netto: Yuriko suddenly tackled him out of harm's way at the last moment.

"Netto!"

"Yuriko!"

_Wow! Ms. Yuriko to the rescue again!_

"Netto! We must hurry and rescue Rock Man! Do you have any hunches?"

"Well… I don't have any hunches, no…"

"The basement." A man's voice rang out.

"Huh!"

"Rock Man's in the basement recycle store-room."

"Who…?" Yuriko demanded.

"Hurry it up."

Explosions rang out while Netto and Yuriko entered the room: it was filled with laptops and screens piled in a crazy heap.

"Where…? Where's niisan at?"

"Step asides! Hikari Netto! Yuriko!"

_Who's there?_

"Plug In. Shadow Man, Transmission."

_What! Shadow Man's Operator…? The same one "Nebula" had tried to approach in the past but had been unable to…?_

A man standing behind them aimed a purple PET III at one screen and transferred his Navi there.

His hair was jet black and largely messy while his eyes were closed: he had a slight amused face on.

This man was on his thirties and was wearing a traditional Japanese set of clothes plus wooden sandals: the main color in his tunic was purple complemented with some tones of red: there was an emblem on his robe which was a triangle-shaped black-colored _shuriken_ seen from the front and set against a goldenrod background.

"Who in the…?" Yuriko demanded.

"I'm Dark Miyabi. You'd be better off remembering that." The man announced.

Shadow Man suddenly appeared on the air over Cloud Man with his _katana_ drawn and silently descending towards the "Darkloid": he saw him coming and gasped: Shadow Man cut across the air and hit the right hand so Cloud Man let go of Rock Man.

"What?" Cosmo Man gasped along with the other two.

Rock Man landed with one knee on the ground and clutching his right shoulder while Shadow Man stood there in front of him with the arms folded.

"It's been a while, Rock Man."

"You're… Shadow Man! You're alive?"

"He's been revived thanks to a curious elder's help. And he's now my Navi." Dark Miyabi announced.

"You lowlife…! How did you know Rock Man's location?" Cosmo Man questioned the _ninja_.

"A rotten smell like that of you "Darkloid" lowlifes… Would make flowers wither." He enigmatically replied.

They all grumbled.

"There's a chance! Plug In! Needle Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

Netto established connection with Saito.

_Saito – niisan!_

_Netto – kun! Otouto!_ He looked rejoiced.

"Needle Cannon!"

The attack hit Blizzard Man's back and he fell to the ground in front of Swallow Man: he Man turned around in surprise.

"There are other accomplices!" He gasped.

"Those consecutive come-backs… Are rather cowardly!" Umbra called out.

"You don't deserve saying that… You fake Rock Man!"

Shadow Man threw three _kunai_ to the top of a column and they hit something: Umbra unveiled himself.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" He inwardly giggled.

"You're…!" Rock Man was stunned.

"Umbra – sama!" Cosmo Man sounded glad.

"Don't say you didn't know it! Saito!"

"Umbra!"

Saito remembered about the "Dark Aura" taken out of his body during the return from the past.

"You're that data aggregation which split from me when I was coming back from the past via the "Past Tunnel"!" He realized.

"What did you say? Then… It's true that he's identical to niisan, then?"

"This world _doesn't need_ _two_ Rock Men. I'll eliminate your whole person. I shall annihilate you!"

"It's not like we'll let you! Program Advance! Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In!"

"Giga Cannon!"

"Program Advance! Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"

"That guy…! He created the same weapon…!" Netto exclaimed.

"Heh, heh, heh!"

The two cannons began to charge up: Shadow Man simply started to put his _katana_ back on its sheath as everyone stood still: Yuriko looked serious while Dark Miyabi grinned.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Umbra inwardly giggled again.

_No – one dares to move: this is between the two of them! Che! Cousin installed Battle Chip Data on that cheap fake! Show your hide, Cousin!_

The _katana_ reached the bottom of the sheath and it made a metallic sound: both attacks shot on that moment.

_What'll be the outcome?_

They merged and a shock-wave hit the area thus bathing it on a bright flash: everyone shielded their eyes.

"Saito – niisan!"

The explosion collapsed and only damaged part of the area: both combatants were unhurt and their weapons were smoking: silence filled the area.

"Draw." Shadow Man announced.

_Che!_

"I expected as much. We'll meet again… My other me." Umbra calmly announced.

Umbra became data and departed as Saito's Giga Cannon disengaged: the "Darkloids" and the other two Navis also headed back.

"My other… me…" Saito muttered.

_HELL, HELL AND HELL! Now Cousin's come up with a pawn to keep us busy with these new "Darkloids"! As if handling the "Asteroids" and the "Neo WWW" wasn't enough…! _

"… Shuryou. I apologize: I took a while to figure out what was going on, but there's a fake Rock Man out there with four new "Darkloids"… Needle Man's here and… That dog. Shadow Man." Freeze Man reported but made a grimace when mentioning Shadow Man.

"Don't mind the guy. They're the lesser of our worries. That's an order, Freeze Man!"

"Roger, Shuryou!"

"Umbra, huh. This isn't the last we'll see of this punk."

"Che! Whose work is this, anyway…?"

06:49 AM (Japan Time), Sunday October the 18th…

"… If you want something then please call me again…"

Dark Miyabi was meeting with someone next to the park's fountain.

"I'll use it plenty of times."

He turned away and began to walk out but stopped.

"The Shadow Man I got from you is… superb."

That "someone" happened to be Dr. Wily.

"Dr. Wily."

Wily merely smiled and watched him leave.

"… He's Rock Man and not Rock Man at the same time…"

Manabe, Meijin and Netto were watching the dawn rising over the city from a rooftop.

"Who'd believed such a person could exist?"

"They're matched in power. No. He doesn't have a rightful heart, which makes him more fearsome than Rock Man. What a set-back." Meijin added.

"They could become the ultimate enemy for all we know. Umbra…!" Netto muttered.

_Another me…!_

Umbra sat in a round platform somewhere in the Cyber World and swung his legs back and forth while leaning on the ground with his hands: he looked up and formed a psychotic smile.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" He inwardly giggled.

_Che. Things are gonna become hellish by now. Bit me if I don't know who the jerk behind this is. I, Forte, won't let 'em get away with it… I'll smash 'em up! Stick out your face! We'll defeat you, culprit! If you think you can toy with their emotions then you're very mistaken! Showdown!_


	17. Chapter 16: Fireworks to Deko

**Chapter 16: Fireworks offered to Deko**

21:50 PM (Japan Time), Sunday October the 18th…

"… Precious…"

Duo's comet was flying through the night skies on that evening and a man was looking at it from a field somewhere.

This man was on his late 20s or early 30s who appealed as standing about a meter and eighty tall: his hair was brown and messy and his eyes' irises were brown too.

He wore a white cloth around and over the head with some black ink – drawn marks in the front of the cloth which meant to represent fireworks' explosions.

He then had a green sleeveless jumper over with two pockets on the front covering his chest and extending until the hips: the shirt beneath it was white in color with two round reddish ellipsoids set over the shoulders yet the sleeves ended around the shoulders.

His pants were also of a greenish color and he sported black boots with red soils and three white-like buttons set in a column within the inner side of his boots.

He lastly had cloth robes on to seemingly protect his hands when working with fireworks.

"Big and precious… That shooting star's color… Looks like exploding fireworks!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Oe, oe! Are ya nappin', Nenji? 'Cause I don't see any shootin' star anywhere!" "Asteroid" Napalm Man yelled from inside of the man's PET III.

"I see it. Only I can see it." He muttered with awe.

_Aha! So that's Mr. Rokushadama Nenji… I'll take note of it: now let's go sneak on the fake and their quartet… I want to figure out what they're up to: no good, I know, but… Maybe Cousin's there…!_

The Navi of "K. S." got into a Cyber World somewhere which had a main cylindrical pillar with a stone armchair set atop it: a set of stairs climbed down to a platform where the four "Darkloids" were waiting: Umbra was sitting in the armchair and leaning his body towards the right while looking like he was reflecting.

_Yesterday's battle?_ He deduced.

Umbra then opened his eyes but his facial expression didn't change much: he slowly looked up.

… _So we're matched in power… But, I… Don't have what makes Saito special… _He slowly smiled.

"Umbra – sama! Please bestow into us the order to exterminate Rock Man!" Cloud Man requested.

"Those who oppose Umbra – sama don't get away with it! We want to return the defeat of the other day, sir!" Blizzard Man exclaimed next.

"I beg of you, sir! Please allow us, sir!"

"Fine!"

Both Cloud Man and Blizzard Man sounded rejoiced.

"The strategy's up to you. Do your best! Cloud Man. Blizzard Man."

"YES, SIR!"

_True… They'll stake their lives if I order that… How foolish, really. _He formed a smile.

_Hum. Freeze Man's spotted this too…_

"… Shuryou. It'd seem that Cloud Man and Blizzard Man will be dispatched to try to defeat Rock Man, sir…"

"Che. How cowardly. Follow Rock Man and don't mind showing your attacks if needed. Make sure they're properly strengthened too and that they take effect." Gospel grumbled.

"Roger, sir!"

17:17 PM (Japan Time), Monday October the 19th…

"… HUH? What does this mean, then?"

Yuuichirou was showing him data from the "Duo's Crests" while inside of the Science Labs' main room.

"…"Duo's Crests" are pieces of a puzzle"…" Netto quoted.

"Just like in a puzzle, if we gather all "Crests", then… We'll probably complete a single figure." Yuuichirou suggested.

"Figure…?"

"I guess you remember, Netto… About Barrel Tai-sa's words."

"_Netto – kun. You must find and gather the companions."_

"_The companions…?"_

"_Gather the companions who own "Duo's Crest"…!"_

"I've researched non-stop into "Duo's Crests" ever since that day and the resulting answer guided me." Yuuichirou told him.

"And what would that "figure" be?" Rock Man asked while was being displayed in a small section of the larger LCD screen.

"I don't know. The figure won't be completed until we gather the whole of the "Crests" …"

"Gather all of the "Crests"…"

"According to my follow-up the exact number is 13 Crests. In short…"

"There are thirteen "Crest" holders?" Rock Man asked.

_Thirteen… _Netto thought.

_Odd number! But I don't believe Duo knows what "superstition" means to begin with. Maybe he just found 13 persons which he thought he could grant the "Crest"… _Freeze Man thought.

_And what's their purpose, anyway? _"K. S." wondered.

A rocket was approaching Japan and it was obvious it belonged to Yaito because her maids were onboard.

"Currently… Code 24000! Speed: Mach twelve."

"It's to be expected of a new-gen vehicle! We can achieve record-breaking speeds!"

"So? When are we gonna reach Japan?"

Yaito walked into the cockpit while her forehead shone.

"Ah! Put on the protective goggles!"

They all put on black-glassed goggles.

"Another five minutes, Mistress."

Yaito smiled as she sat down on an armchair.

"Good."

"… The "Crests" radiate and gather up a special "pulse" being emitted by Duo's Comet…"

"The thirteen companions owning the "Crests"… Enzan… Laika… Pride… Dingo… Jasmine… Charlie… Yuriko… Barrel – san… If what Charlie said is true, then… Tesla, too… And me… We're still missing another three, huh? I wonder who they could be and where they could be..." He muttered aloud.

"There's an enigmatic thing: everyone's "Synchronism" has gradually increased as of late." Yuuichirou brought up.

"They could be able to use "Cross Fusion", then?" Netto grasped what he meant.

The building and air began to rumble all of a sudden.

"W-what is it?"

They both ran outside to find the pink rocket.

"T-that's a… R-rocket! W-what the heck?"

The door opened and a flash shone from inside as a ramp deployed towards ground level.

"A~h! It showed up! The invading hostile force…!"

"How rude…! Who's an invading hostile force?"

"Ya… Yaito – chan!"

"Incredible…! Her forehead's light is brighter than ever: its glow can even extend into flying objects!" Saito exclaimed.

"It's expected from Saito – kun to have such good insight!"

"Yaito – chan! When did you return to Japan?" Netto asked.

Yaito descended to ground level using the mobile ramp.

"Right now. I had a favor to ask outta Netto." She announced.

"What's that "favor" about?" Netto asked.

"This night we're staging a party in King Land, but… We'd like to decorate the place over there with some Japanese fireworks. So! Could you tell me about any firework-making misters?" Yaito told him.

"A firework-making mister…? Wouldn't it be fine if you looked it up yourself?" Netto suggested.

"Come on, Netto… Aren't you the one who has worthless info and tests to begin with?"

Netto frowned and looked like he didn't like Yaito's words.

"_Excuse me_. Oh! True! If it's about fireworks then we could hire Nenji – san…" He suggested.

"Oh! I suspected so! You know one! Sir! Do you mind if I borrow Netto for roughly half a day?" She addressed Yuuichirou.

"Eh… Please go ahead."

_Yaito – chan… That wasn't nice to tell to otouto… You could've really looked it up yourself! Jeez. She's too selfish from time to time._

17:42 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Wrong, wrong! I don't tire of saying that! That shooting star doesn't have that coloring!"

Rokushadama was running simulations of fireworks and Napalm Man discussed with him.

"Like I knew! I thought I'd told ya I can't see it!" Napalm Man protested.

"Just burn up and crack it up! Nenjiro!"

"It's not "Nenjiro"! I'm Napalm Man!" Napalm Man growled.

He turned into flames and the screen heated.

"Auch, auch!"

"As usual, Nenji – san!"

Netto was standing in the threshold accompanied by Yaito.

"Huh? If it isn't the "Net Savior" runt! What brings you here today?"

"You're the fireworks maker, Nenji – san?" Yaito asked.

"Oh! That's right, but… And you, Miss...?"

"… How is it, Hinoken – sama?"

Hinoken was eating some curry rice at Maha Ichiban's: Dekao and Dingo were standing behind the counter.

"What's the flavor like?" Dingo asked.

"You! It was worth the trouble of coming from overseas to eat curry!"

"You did it, Dekao!" Dingo congratulated.

They heard the door open.

"Welcome! Huh?" Dekao looked surprised.

"Heh, heh!"

The visitor was Yaito.

18:10 PM (Japan Time)…

_Well. I sent my dragonfly along… If that rocket can really hit Mach 12 then the flight is going to be very short indeed!_

The rocket departed with Yaito, Netto, Hinoken, Dekao, Rokushadama and Dingo on-board along with Yaito's maids.

"Cool! What a cool and perfect fireworks rocket!" Rokushadama exclaimed while sitting on his seat.

"Fireworks are not needed: this is a rocket!"

"It's nice to know! That shining radiance…! Heh! My firework – maker heart is burnin'!" Nenji commented.

"It'd seem you like it! I'm glad! Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!" Yaito giggled.

Netto was sitting in the row immediately next to Nenji's and on the seat adjacent to the corridor: he looked somewhat uncomfortable.

"That's somewhat unfair… Yaito – chan's always being selfish…"

"That's right!" Hinoken exclaimed.

He was sitting in the row behind and had stood up: he looked somewhat like he was complaining about it.

"This is more like abduction!" He protested.

"I dunno what Hinoken's babbling 'bout…" Netto sighed in defeat and closed his eyes.

Dekao and Dingo were working on preparing the curry inside of the kitchen: Dekao cut the cabbages while Dingo checked the soups.

"Hmmm… Now it seems somewhat dull to me…"

"Maybe we need to add a bit more of spices?" Dekao asked.

"… Come on…! Just don't go around making curry inside a _rocket_! Dekao and Dingo!"

"Guess it can't be helped! Since we've been requested to serve Japanese _curry_ on the party…"

"This is business: business!" Dingo added.

"Nope! I don't agree with that! I won't forgive tricking us into producing the curry!" Hinoken exclaimed while leaning on the counter.

"Has your mood changed? However! This curry has to be served to 64.800 guests."

Yaito was standing near the entrance while having her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes closed: she looked in charge of everything.

"O~H! I've gladly come to do my best!"

Hinoken kneeled and walked over to her.

"…"64.800 guests"… Yaito – chan! What exactly is this party about?" Netto asked.

"Truth is… I've organized a worldwide contest to decide who the number 1 person with the most beautiful _deko _in the world is: Deko Universe! It's the inauguration party!" She let out.

"Deko Universe?" All men asked.

"My deko is colored, shaped, extended, and shining! There are no other adjectives for it in the whole world! True… I'll get the only sample on Earth of the seven thousand Carats diamond to wear in my chest! That'll be me: Ayanokouji Yaito!" She daydreamed.

"Deko Universe, eh…"

Netto, Dingo and Dekao had a sweat drop and their eyes closed: Hinoken kept the same pose and looked somewhat perplexed.

"Being chosen makes her happy… That does." Hinoken muttered.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! An interesting Missy! Your _deko_'s radiance is healthy! Like fireworks, even…!" Rokushadama commented.

"I knew it! My radiance…" Yaito sounded proud.

"Yeah! Be it _deko_ or be it fireworks: I love to see shining things! I like it, Deko Missy - chan!"

"The pleasure's mine, Nenji – san!"

"Huh, huh… They get along when it comes to shining…" Netto muttered.

The Navis were introducing to each other.

"I'm always ready everywhere for a beat 'em up! The flame Navi: Napalm Man!" Napalm Man announced.

"Flames are my hobby! Fire Man!" Fire Man exclaimed.

"I'm the powerful burner: Guts Man!"

Guts Man's right fist had fire on it for a moment.

"The flame runt! Tomahawk Man!"

His totem shone with fire.

"We'll get along!" Napalm Man announced.

"Excellent! From now on… We're a brotherhood!" Fire Man.

"HOORAY!"

They all raised a fist and shone with flames while Rock Man and Glyde eyed them.

"So their friendship is linked to their flame attributes?"

"But that's more preferable…"

The rocket reached the party hall which was a round building with a dome built on top of it.

"T-that's the event hall?" Dekao asked.

"You had it build in purpose just to hold the party?" Netto asked next.

"Yeah! It's the impeccable Yaito Memorial Dome!" Yaito announced.

"She's ridiculously rich!" Hinoken exclaimed.

The interior of the event hall was gigantic.

"Wow! Cool!"

The others also were amazed at the scale.

"It really can fit 64.800 persons!"

"Open it!" Yaito instructed.

"Roger, Mistress."

Some of the maids were standing in front of the control computers: one pressed a button and the dome opened to reveal the sunny skies.

"The ceiling is opening!" Dingo exclaimed.

"You can see the sky!" Dekao exclaimed as well.

"Wow! I'm burning! Right, Nenjiro?" Rokushadama exclaimed.

"That's why I'm _not_ "Nenjiro"! It's bothersome to correct ya!"

The PET was very hot and Nenji had to switch it from hand to hand.

"Ouch! Hot! Hot!"

"What are you doing, Nenji – san?" Netto asked.

"Hot! The PET's hot! When this guy gets annoyed it ends up like that!" He protested.

"Is that so? Guess that's because he's an "Asteroid"…" Netto calmly guessed.

"That shows they're fine! Please, Nenji – san. Please make a lot of fireworks be displayed in the skies!" She raised her arms.

"Oh! You just leave it to me! Hey! Dudes! Preparations: start!" He told the other three.

"HOORAY!"

"Huh… Hooray…" Netto reacted somewhat out of synch when he lifted his right fist.

"… That firework – making machine is really big-model!"

Rokushama roamed around the basement while examining the machinery.

"That Deko – chan sure can afford such a thing…"

"We won't be treated as idiots! Let's make everyone realize that!"

They eyed a gigantic bomb-shaped capsule placed on a conveyor belt.

"Eh, huh, this is… Huge…!" Napalm Man uttered.

The Maha Ichiban's staff was overseeing a gigantic machine which was readying the curry sauce.

"It's incredible… It's like a pool!" Dingo exclaimed.

"I'm gonna swim…!"

Dekao has his eyes white from the utter amazement.

"In the curry pool!" He exclaimed.

"Huh?"

Both Dingo and Hinoken looked at him: Dekao suddenly jumped on top of the handrail and opened his cook shirt.

"I'll become one with my curry~!" He exclaimed.

"What the heck, Dekao?" Hinoken was baffled.

Dingo was holding his right leg while he kept on trying to jump off.

_Yes, hold him at bay… _"K. S." was surprised.

Two maids were cleaning Yaito's forehead to make it really shiny: they were gearing those black-glassed goggles to protect her eyes.

"The cleaning is done, Mistress."

"Thanks!"

She smiled as she looked at a mirror.

"I have such a splendid and charming shining…" She giggled.

Netto was standing inside of the dome's main room and he was overseeing how the fireworks cannon descended into the dome via a crane.

"Good, good! Straight ahead! Good! Good, good, good!"

The machine touched the ground softly.

"Huff! This should do it."

He cleaned his sweat: Yaito walked towards him from behind.

"Netto! Good job."

"Ack!"

Netto shielded his eyes from the glare.

"The preparations should be complete with this. You really have a good group of buddies!"

"Che! I feel nice today, that's all." Netto smiled.

_Maybe we should paint her forehead black so that she absorbs the light instead._ Saito suggested with obvious amusement on his voice.

_That's very funny, niisan._ Netto rolled his eyes.

_Go your half-way._ Saito challenged.

_That's the third time! _Netto complained.

_You're keeping the count, eh? Maybe you're not as bad at Math as you say you are… Otouto._

_I HATE MATH! _

_Don't yell! I'm going to get deaf!_

_Net Navis don't get deaf!_ Netto grumbled under his breath.

_Kidding. I wanted to shake off the tension, otouto. _Saito calmly replied with a smile.

_Whatever._

11:50 AM (London Time)…

_Huh? This signature… Che! They came!_

One maid did not notice one or two control screens flickering for a second or two: Cloud Man and Blizzard Man appeared inside of the Cyber World.

"We did it! Intrusion: success!" Blizzard Man exclaimed.

"Let's take over the dome supervision system!" Cloud Man exclaimed.

The doors locked and the dome began to close.

"Huh? The dome is closing?" Netto wondered.

"It's odd. It's acting alone!"

"Heh, heh! They're now like cornered mice… Next is… Blizzard Breath!"

"I'll amplify that blizzard! Cross Spark!"

The blizzard entered the cloud and it was electrified before four bursts of blizzards came out of the cloud: the blizzards came out of the air conditioner system and started to freeze the whole dome.

"Ah!" Both Netto and Yaito gasped.

"Blizzard!" Netto gasped.

"A~h! Cold!" The maids yelled.

"The temperature is dropping at an alarming rate!" Another maid reported.

"Crap!" Netto was freezing.

"W-why…?" Yaito muttered.

The maid next to the computer shrieked: Rokushadama was also freezing inside of the basement: the curry machine stopped as well so the Maha Ichiban's staff gasped.

"AH! THE CURRY!"

"W-what the heck is this about?" Netto wondered.

"Runt! What's going on?" Rokushadama asked.

Blizzard Man and Cloud Man appeared on a LCD screen.

"You're Umbra's lackeys!" Netto yelled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" They both chuckled.

"This is your handiwork, ain't it?"

"Correct! You guys are experiencing this freezing cold of me: Blizzard Man and…!"

"… A cool guy who always feels smug…! You've totally stepped into Cloud Man – sama's trap!"

"A trap, they say!" Hinonken scoffed.

"It's useless…"

Rokushadama dropped to his knees holding a fireworks container.

"We're gonna end up frozen at this rate… The fireworks won't be able to work!"

"A~H! My curry is ruined! No way!"

Dekao was holding an oven with some of it while Dingo looked at him.

"I'd already prepared it!"

He cried and Dingo sighed.

"We're doomed, Dekao!"

"No! The level of trouble is more than that!" Netto exclaimed while popping out right next to them.

"Ya~h!" Yaito shrieked.

"What's wrong, little Deko – chan? Oh!"

Rokushadama gasped and got a sweat drop upon seeing that the forehead had stopped shining.

"The Deko's precious beauty has faded?"

"Horrible, horrible! I won't be able to exhibit my treasure!"

"Uh… What a tragedy…!" Rokushadama had watery eyes.

"Hey! Everyone's lives will be in danger if we keep on like this!" Netto interceded: he'd closed his eyes and was waving his right arm.

The maids were gathered in one spot and they were trembling while the Maha Ichiban's staff tried to force the doors open but they couldn't: all of the maids gathered around Yaito.

"Useless! All exits are blocked!" Dekao cursed.

"We're completely trapped!" Dingo added.

Netto made a grimace.

_Otouto! I'll beat them!_

"Go and Plug me In, Nenji!"

_I get you, niisan!_

"I'm counting on you, Nenjiro!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Nenjiro, Transmission!"

The infrared beams reflected on a frozen screen.

"We can't Plug-In?"

"The ice! We can't Plug-In unless we melt the terminal's ice!" Hinoken realized.

"…"Melt"…? How do we do that?" Netto asked.

"Like I'd know!"

"Wha?" Netto was baffled.

"The firework's radiance is frozen too…! What should I do?"

"Just as I'd calculated! You can't battle us 'cause of some ice fragments!"

"We'll have Rock Man look as Hikari Netto freezes to death! And then we can slowly destroy Rock Man along with the PET! That's our strategy! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"What cowards!"

"I won't be indifferent! I won't lose in a passionate battle!"

The PET heated up again.

"Ah! Hot! With this… I have this trick…! Hey! You know what, Nenjiro? It spans back a while: but I really can't stand whatever ya say!"

"What the heck? What are ya sayin'?"

"Really! You've never bothered to bring out all the stuff yer holdin' back!"

"What are cha babllin' 'bout me now? A Net Navi is supposed to have some pride!"

"Ya dunno how to do the job you lazy doink!"

"What the hell!"

"Lazy!"

"What the hell!"

"Lazy!"

"What the hell!"

Rokushadama shook the PET up and down while Netto and Yaito looked on: Netto had a sweat drop.

"Hum… Nenji – san…"

"What are ya doin' in the midst of this situation?" She questioned.

"Huh! What a stupid dude! Jump into the surface, Nenjiro!"

"That's why I'm a Net Navi to begin with!" Napalm Man yelled back with increasing annoyance.

Rokushadama shook the PET.

"I'm not an idiot!"

The PET heated up: Rokushadama hissed and pressed it against the frozen control panel: it began to melt.

"Now! Runt!"

"He used the PET's heat to melt the ice!" Netto was baffled.

"That was incredible, Nenji – san!"

"Nenji… You…"

"We'll settle it later, Nenjiro! All of that was a strategy to melt the ice! You two jerks!"

The "Darkloids" grinned.

"How dare you to steal the glory of little Deko – chan? I, Rokushadama Nenji, won't forgive you dudes! Let's go! Plug In! Nenjiro!"

"Rock Man!"

"Tomahawk Man!"

"Fire Man!"

"Guts Man!"

"TRANSMISSION!"

The five Navis appeared on the circuitry, actually surprising the two "Darkloids": Rock Man stepped forward.

_Late! As usual. I was compiling data elsewhere. But it'd seem they managed to turn the thing around. _Freeze Man inwardly grumbled as he looked on.

_Phew! Good, Mr. Rokushadama!_

"How dare you try to harm Netto – kun with such a petty strategy!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"Rock Man and we, the flame passionate guys, are your opponents!"

"I call the shots! Cloud Thunder!"

They all dodged with ease and the attack hit the floor instead.

_Netto – kun!_

_Here! Have this!_

"Spread Gun!"

The five shots hit Cloud Man.

"Just like that, Saito – kun!" Yaito rallied.

"Rock Man is cute!"

"He's so cool!"

"Blizzard Breeze!"

"Flames VS Blizzard! Napalm Bomb!"

He shot a projectile from his forehead's muzzle.

"Flame Tower!"

"Fire Punch!"

"Totem – sama!"

The fire attacks hit Blizzard Man and he had to step back and shield his body.

"Ah! Hot! Hot!" He exclaimed.

"Many Cloud!"

Rock Man dodged almost all the electrical bursts but one hit him on the back.

"Battle Chip, Super North Wind! Slot In!"

A strong wind tried to push Cloud Man, who was trying to hold on, but he couldn't.

"The great I am being pulled around…!" He hissed.

"Battle Chip, Heat Body! Slot In!"

Rock Man was surrounded by a flame before he curled and rolled across the air: he hit Cloud Man and it stopped the blizzard in the real world.

"The descending temperature has stopped…!" Yaito gasped in relief.

The heat started to melt the ice in the circuitry and the fans now expelled hot air.

"The wind's turned hot!" One maid exclaimed.

"Look! The ice is melting!" Another added.

The fireworks cannon had its ice melted as well: the two "Darkloids" were surrounded.

"Cloud Man, Blizzard Man! You've lost!" Rock Man announced.

They both sounded nervous.

"I still have an ace in the sleeve…" Umbra muttered.

Six "Dimensional Converters" emerged and a "Dimensional Area" formed: the two "Darkloids" materialized and Cloud Man advanced towards the group of maids.

"This is bad! They're on the real world!"

"You'll regret underestimating us!" Cloud Man claimed.

"I'll turn 'em into snow-dolls! Snow Rolling!"

Blizzard Man formed snow balls and kicked them: Nenji and Netto dodged one while a big one chased the Maha Ichiban's crew.

_Otouto! "Cross Fusion!"_

"Snow Rolling!"

Various shots destroyed them.

"I won't let you call the shots anymore!" "CF" Netto announced.

He didn't see Cloud Man moving up behind him.

"Fool! You're not covering your back! Elec Storm!"

The attack hit "CF" Netto fully: he yelled and was sent flying before he landed with his back on the ground, hard.

"Ah!" Yaito gasped.

"Netto!" Dingo and Dekao yelled.

"Devils! Two on one is too much to handle!" Hinoken scoffed.

Rokushadama was furious as well: "CF" Netto managed to stand up while being covered in bruises: Blizzard Man momentarily gasped when Freeze Man's diamond daggers got inside of his body from behind.

"I'm gonna go for the final blow! Rolling Slider!"

Blizzard Man turned into a snow ball and "CF" Netto dodged him by jumping to the ground: some snow fell from the ceiling due to Blizzard Man hitting the wall and he was buried under the mass.

"Runt!"

Rokushadama ran next to the fireworks launcher and aimed it towards Blizzard Man's back while he was distracted: the "lock on" mark showed up and he hit the button.

"Won't let the villains get away with it! Rokushadama Nenji's specialty: the spark firework! Take this!" He yelled.

A rocket shot out and exploded in front of the "Darkloid", blinding him.

"Bright! Hot!" He exclaimed.

Cloud Man also panicked and snow fell on top of him.

"Now! Runt!"

"Battle Chip, Neo Variable Sword!"

"CF" Netto shot a Sonic Boom at Blizzard Man and it cut him in the middle of the torso: his body frizzled.

"Ie~a~h!"

Blizzard Man exploded and, using the smoke as cover, Cloud Man fled: the remaining snow fell from the ceiling into the ground.

"HE DID IT!" The Maha Ichiban's staff chorused.

"He did it: Netto won!" Yaito exclaimed.

The maids were also exultant and Rokushadama sighed in relief: the "Dimensional Area" faded and Netto reverted out of "Cross Fusion" next: he picked the PET.

"You did it, Netto!" Dekao exclaimed.

"That was a splendid battle!" Hinoken congratulated.

"Thanks! You really saved me, Nenji – san!"

"What… I was not gonna lose against guys who try to steal the brightness outta people! They end up losing, anyway! That's what happened!"

"Yeah!"

"Yes!"

… _There's something which Saito holds and I don't hold… _

Umbra was looking at Cosmo Man and Swallow Man.

_Hikari Netto… And his companions… _

Umbra's eyes narrowed and the two "Darkloids" looked uneasy as if expecting him to get pissed off.

"But you can't win over me! No matter how bright the "Light" might be, it's always engulfed by the "Dark", ya see." He amusedly announced with a shrug.

_Hmpf! Brag while you can. Cousin told you that but you've lost 1 pawn already… _"K. S." grinned.

"… YAITO – SAMA! CONGRATULATIONS! YAITO – SAMA!" The maids chorused.

"You sure look beautiful tonight, Yaito - sama!"

"You do at any time!"

The spotlights engaged to show Yaito with a princess-like outfit: the public clapped.

"Thank you, everyone!" She thanked as her forehead shone.

"You sure look happy, Yaito – chan!"

Netto was standing around a table with Hinoken and some of the maids along with guests.

"What an occasion! All of these 64.800 guests are VIPs! Gabcom Inc. sure is an important business!" Hinoken commented.

Two maids were testing out Dekao's curry: he was there along with Dingo, who was serving strawberry milk.

"So? What do you think of the Maha Ichiban Curry Yaito Variant?" Dekao asked.

"Whoa! It's delicious!" One maid exclaimed.

"It fills you up!"

"There's strawberry milk to be drank as desert!" Dingo added.

"Dekao's curry is popular! The party is a huge success!"

"Okay! We shall finally begin…" A maid began announcing.

"Yeah! It's about to start!" Hinoken grinned.

"… The main event: Rokushadama Nenji – san's night - sky fireworks!"

The dome opened and the public fell silent and Yaito looked eager as the lights were dimmed: the fireworks cannon began to fire and the guests sounded wondered to then exclaim in wonder upon seeing the fireworks.

"Let's go?"

He pressed the button and a big rocket shot out.

"Nenjiro! Have a good look at this one!" He warned.

The fireworks turned into Duo's comet.

"Beautiful!" Yaito exclaimed.

"That's… Duo's comet!" Netto muttered.

"How is it, Nenjiro? Can you finally see it, too? That's the shooting star only I can see!" He held to PET to allow him to look on.

"Eh? Nenji – san can see it? See Duo's comet?" Netto gasped and looked at him all of a sudden.

"Huh?"

"Can you see it? See the comet?"

_Could it be…? _Saito gasped as well.

"Ah? I can see it, but…"

Netto spotted "Duo's Crest" on his right hand.

"Huh? W-what the heck? Is there something in my face?" Rokushadama asked with obvious surprise.

"Oh… No…" Netto smiled.

_I found it: another of the companions who hold "Duo's Crest"…!_

_Good! The 11__th__ Companion! Two left! And then we'll figure out the enigma behind "Duo's Crests"…! _"K. S." smiled.

"… Shuryou. Blizzard Man: deleted. And Rokushadama has a "Duo's Crest" too… According to the Science Labs there are 13 of them so we're missing another two, sir…" Freeze Man reported.

"I see! That's good to hear, yeah. If we want to solve this affair then we need to figure out the mystery behind those "Crests"…" Gospel calmly replied.

_I heard Hikari – hakase's description, yeah… It's picking me… What's the purpose of those things? Some kind of key…? _


	18. Chapter 17: Cross Fusion Impossible!

**Chapter 17: Cross Fusion Impossible!**

07:22 AM (Japan Time), Thursday October the 22nd…

"… H-hum…"

A fisherman was fishing while sitting on boat stopped within a quiet river somewhere: low-hanging fog partially covered the area.

"Huh?"

The rod tensed and he pulled it: there was a giant shape with red eyes on the water.

"T-this one's…!"

A giant fish Virus came out and he yelled in terror while "Asteroid" Video Man and Narcy were observing from a nearby bridge.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! The experiment is successful."

_Che. What are they up to now?_

"K. S." was keeping an eye on both of them as they left the area: he was sitting on a chair behind a desk placed in an office room somewhere which rather looked like a store-room.

_Well. We've had "Asteroid" Star Man around and Ms. Sakurai was granted "Duo's Crest" making her the 12__th__ "Crest Holder"… We're pending 1 and we'll be able to figure out the true colors of these objects… The pool for "Asteroids" is decreasing yet… We could still get to see Bowl Man or Cut Man… _

His cell – phone suddenly rang: he checked the display and immediately made a grimace.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" Someone chuckled.

"You lowlife!" He cursed aloud.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Che. They've cut… Bothersome meddling fools!"

16:17 PM (Japan Time), Friday October the 23rd…

"… Today… You can witness a solar eclipse from anywhere. Please enjoy this awe-inspiring natural event!"

Midorikawa was making a report over the TV while Wily was walking around the side alleys pushing his trolley.

"Hum… How quiet… But solar eclipses are said to bring misfortune…"

"… WHOA~!"

Netto had gone to the Automobile Museum where the now outdated "Dimensional Converter" - outfitted trucks were being shown to the general public.

"The "Dimensional Converter" trucks…! They've got better appeal at a new glance! Isn't that right, Route – san?" Netto commented.

"Yes, sir. These vehicles ended their roles with the apparition of the "Dimensional Generator" so the Science Labs have donated them to the Automobile Museum."

The youth looked in awe at footage of the trucks in action: one of them was Kousuke, the grandson of Tensuke, the Operator of Top Man, who could be told apart by his yellow cap.

"Cool!"

"Incredible!" Another boy added.

"Everyone seems to be enjoying it!" Rock Man told Route.

"Yes, sir. Even though they're trucks which aren't used anymore nowadays, they can make everyone rejoice. The automobile are surely happy too." She smiled.

Wily had stopped walking for a while and was sitting on a bench just outside the museum.

"… Ah…! Political parties… Committees… Is this the calm before the battle? Huh? Hum?"

He eyed a newspaper with the news of the giant Virus which had come out of that lake: "DINOSAUR SPOTTED IN INAKA LAKE" was its headline, surprisingly enough.

"… Heh, heh, heh… You two get the picture."

Tesla was speaking with Narcy and Inukai: they failed to spot the dragonfly spying on them.

_What now?_ "K. S." wondered.

"Yes, ma'am! We'll definitely achieve a wonderful victory."

"Yeah. That's why I'm teamed up with this jerk." Inukai added.

"But how ironic! I'd rather not teamed up with cha: you aren't "artistic" at all!"

"What did ya say…?" Inukai growled.

"If you understand it then it'll go fine! The opportunity we've waited for is here! Foolish humans… By taking profit of a current ongoing event… We'll make you taste fear and chaos. Heh, heh."

_No good. Let's check on the Science Labs… I've gone out for a while to check on the gentlemen from here, the Automobile Museum…_

"K. S." switched screens to display the main room where Meijin and other scientists were at.

"… We'll soon step into the solar eclipse. No abnormalities on the "Dimensional Generator"."

"Firewall: change security levels."

"Roger! For the next two hours… "Dimensional Area" transfer from the satellite will be disabled because of the eclipse's effects…" Meijin warned.

"Yes…"

"It'd be good if nothing happened but…" He grimly muttered.

In effect: the Moon began to move to in front of the sun.

"… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh…!"

_Che! There they are!_

Inukai had stopped his van just in front of the rear doors of the Science Labs: Umonosuke was there with him too and he looked up to no good as if it wasn't obvious enough.

"Go! Beast Man!"

"Ra~rgh!"

Beast Man ran on forward.

"… Beast Man has appeared within the Cyber World! He's intruded the Level 1 Firewall!" A scientist reported.

A map was brought up.

"At such a time…! The anti-Virus program!" Meijin cursed under his breath

Beast Man was racing forward but stopped when various Security Navis appeared.

"Che."

Netto was holding a classical model mini car which he'd bought in the Automobile Museum.

"Ta-dan! A classical mini-car! Meijin – san requested of me to specially buy it from the Automobile Museum!"

"Meijin _- _san will be happy!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"Won't he?" Netto grinned.

_Forget the "san" part! _Saito added.

_Who cares?_ Netto shrugged.

_Go your own half-way. _Saito giggled.

_Not that again… What's that supposed to mean, Saito – niisan? It's already the fourth time! _Netto moaned.

_Heh, heh, heh! Trade secret, otouto! _Saito giggled.

Netto exited and saw people trying to see the eclipse: "K. S." was sitting in a nearby bench and engrossed seeing Beast Mans' rampage without using the holographic screen: Netto didn't spot him or Wily.

"Huh? I wonder… What's everyone doing?" Netto asked.

"Otouto! Today there's a total eclipse!"

"So that's it… And why does this happen, anyway?"

"A solar eclipse is… When the Moon happens to step between the Sun and the Earth then the Sun's light is blocked up. And, thanks to that shadow, you can see the Sun's glow. An eclipse can be these: partial eclipse, annular eclipse and total solar eclipse. The total solar eclipse which can be seen today means that the Sun will be totally eclipsed by the Moon. It's a totally spectacular phenomenon!" Saito explained as he brought up some graphics and photos.

"I see…" Netto understood.

His PET beeped.

"Netto - kun!" Meijin called out.

"Ah! I bought something good! So! Guess what is! Mei-jin-san!"

"_San wa iranai_! Beast Man has intruded the Science Labs' Cyber World!"

"Ah!" He gasped.

"… Ra~rgh! Jumping Claw!"

Beast Man overpowered the security Navis and ran towards the Level 2 Firewall.

"Beast Man is approaching Level 2!" A scientist reported.

Beast Man eyed an armored door descending to block him off ahead.

"Curses!" He hissed.

He skidded along the ground and managed to enter the cylindrical shaft.

"Beast Man has intruded Level 2!"

"Disconnect the Network to trap him!" Meijin commanded.

"Roger!"

Beast Man got up and saw how parts of the floor were vanishing.

"What? Devils!"

He was isolated in one platform placed in the middle of the cylindrical shaft.

"Just what one would expect of the Science Labs' security!" He cursed.

"We've succeeded on isolating Beast Man!"

"Good! Concentrated attack!"

Various powered up Cannon Battle Chips appeared on different parts of the shaft and shot: the attacks did damage Beast Man, who roared in pain: he lost his right forearm and claw.

_Hah. How's that, you savage? _"K. S." grinned.

_I just got a hold of the news… Good work, Science Labs! I can see you've clearly improved the security. _Freeze Man smiled.

"… I'm gonna die… at this rate…" He muttered.

He eyed the door to the next area some meters above him.

"There!" He exclaimed.

He dodged some shots and made it through.

"Beast Man is on the move!"

"I-Impossible! The "Dimensional Generator" Cyber World is right ahead! This is bad! I'm counting on you to handle it from here!" Meijin exclaimed as he ran off.

"Meijin!"

Beast Man managed to blast the wall and got inside the area.

"With just one arm… It's been a long way…! These are the "Dimensional Generator" Cores!"

He started to attack a cyber generator and electricity cursed through him: he didn't mind Freeze Man's diamonds plugging into him from behind.

"I won't last long…!"

"We've come this far, we can push it… Dimensional Chip, Slot In!"

Beast Man materialized, panting, in front of the real world's "Dimensional Generator" Cores.

"Heh! One arm will suffice! Beast Ray!" He exclaimed.

His claw passed through several of the Cores: Meijin exited to the roof and gasped when seeing that the antennas were frizzling.

_Hell! What does it take to stop this savage?_

Beast Man kept attacking and one machine exploded: Beast Man roared as the rest of Generators frizzled and their lights turned off.

_Eat diamonds, you savage!_

Meijin opened one antenna and tried to pick some kind of credit-card sized device.

"At the very least I must protect the "Dimensional Element"…! Good!"

He was about to take it out when the antenna exploded and he was propelled backwards while holding the "Dimensional Element" on his right hand.

_No good! _"K. S." gasped.

Beast Man's attacks had unleashed too much electricity for him to handle and he was being deleted.

"The rest is… in your hands…" He muttered before dying.

"Beast Man… Your efforts will not be in vain…" Inukai muttered.

Umonusuke roared.

17:24 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… The disabling seems to have worked as planned…"

Narcy was standing in a rooftop and looking at his PET.

"What's left is… my show. Dimensional Chip, Slot In!" He muttered with obvious amusement.

Video Man appeared on the middle of the street.

"Amplified Virus Copy!"

"Metto~!" A giant pink Mettool appeared.

Meijin was evacuated to the hospital while Netto, Commissioner Kifune and Superintendent Manabe looked on.

"Meijin… To protect the "Dimensional Element"…" Kifune muttered.

Netto was holding the miniature intended for Meijin.

"Meijin - san…"

"… Heh, heh, heh! Ever since ancient times, the witnessing of an eclipse has been treated as the omen of soon-to-happen cataclysm… How fitting it is as the start of the spread of fear and chaos!" Tesla muttered.

"… Please look on! Giant Viruses have currently showed up in Densan City!" Midorikawa reported through the TV as a chopper overflew the area.

The Maha Ichiban's staff looked at it and they failed to recognize Wily having a late lunch behind them.

"They're asking for trouble." Maha grumbled.

"What's with that "Neo" WWW name!" Count Elec grumbled.

"Devils… These annoying guys are asking for it…" Hinoken commented with some annoyance.

"They're but clowns." Iroayama fumed.

Chisao brought a jar of water to one of the two customers: "K. S." was there, too, sitting in the farthest seat and taking profit of a natural shade to hide him.

"Here! Water, chu." He announced.

"Jeez! I can't stand it anymore! We could do something from the Cyber World! Let's go!" Hinoken rallied.

"YEAH!" Iroaya and Elec added.

"Chisao."

Dekao called out for him as he met up with him and Dingo: Maha was walking out of the kitchen.

"Chisao! Handle the attendance!"

"Leave it to me, chu! Niichan!" He hit his chest with a punch.

"As usual: sweet." The first customer announced.

"The home-made curry shouldn't be so sweet…!" Maha politely protested as walked towards him.

The man lifted his head and smiled.

"Heh, heh."

Maha looked baffled and he even opened the eyes: the other three members assumed a saluting posture all of sudden.

"D - D - D - Dr. Wily – sama!" They all exclaimed.

"Why don't we show those punks how really fearsome the WWW is?" He rallied.

_Aha – hah! You have a strategy, Dr. Wily. _"K. S." looked interested.

"Eh? This grandpa is Dr. Wily?" Dekao wondered.

"Is he that great?" Dingo asked.

"H-h-hey! Lower it!"

Hinoken moved next to them and pressed Dingo's hood.

"Dekao! Just come along!"

Both Maha and Dekao got to the Science Labs with the delivery van and climbed down.

"… We can't do "Cross Fusion"? Couldn't we have Ameroupe satellite-transfer a "Dimensional Area", either?" Netto asked.

"That's… The current solar eclipse effects' makes the Moon's shadow disable the satellites…"

"That can't be!" Netto gasped.

"We've prepared an emergency flight for Hikari – hakase to return from Sharo and repair the "Dimensional Generator"…"

"He won't make it on time even if he returns right now! Hell! What exactly should we do?" Netto cursed.

_I don't know. _Saito admitted with a sigh.

"Amplified Virus Copy! The materialized Viruses of yesterday were my amplified copies!" He admitted.

"Some decoration in_ my favorite color_: _pink_!" Narcy exclaimed

"You've been slow to catch up! Hikari Netto!"

"Confound it all!" Netto cursed and tried to run out of the building.

"Netto – kun!" Manabe called out.

"It's no use! Even if you go out now…!" Rock Man warned.

Netto was surprised to find Dekao on the threshold.

"True! You'd be dancing to the enemy's pace!" He told him.

"Dekao!"

"Calm down and think rationally, Netto!" Dekao insisted.

"Devils! What am I gonna do?"

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh! Hikari Netto! Feel your powerlessness within the whole of your flesh! Witness the display of fear and chaos! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Tesla announced.

Count Elec, Hinoken, Madoi and Dingo walked into the Automobile Museum (currently closed) and stood in front of the "Dimensional Converter" trucks: they then climbed onboard and ignited them.

_I see! _

Route was awakened by it and Tomahawk Man entered the system.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"Rock Man and Netto are in a pinch. We're going to borrow 'em."

Dingo plugged Tomahawk Man out: h nodded and made the thumbs up sign to Hinoken, who replied with the same sign.

_So this is the strategy, eh? _

The trucks drove out and they stopped at a gas station a while later thus leaving the employees baffled.

"…Full tank!" Hinoken and the others ordered.

"F-full tank…" One employee muttered.

"T-thanks a lot…"

Maha walked towards one of the "Dimensional Generator" antennas which was still intact and extracted the "Dimensional Element" from its body.

"This is the "Dimensional Element"…" He announced.

The trucks headed towards a warehouse where Wily was waiting at.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… So they've finally gotten some guts!"

"Using the "Dimensional Converters" system… It's to be expected from Wily - sama!" Hinoken exclaimed.

"We can't sit idle so check them out ASAP!" Wily ordered.

"Delete!" All three members exclaimed.

They started to check the functionality and the status of the trucks: Hinoken checked the cockpit controls, Count Elec fixed some loose pieces with a wrench, Iroaya made one pole engage and smiled.

"Heh, heh!"

"Heh."

"Wily – sama. Here is the "Dimensional Element"." Maha announced as he took it out of the take – away case and handed it to him.

"Good work." Wily congratulated.

"… What destruction… We don't know what kind of strength will be able to stand up to it! We won't be able to counter these gigantic Viruses! Is there not anything which we can do to avoid the town's destruction?"

Netto could not stand it anymore.

_Let's go, Saito – niisan!_

_Netto – kun…!_

"… Amplified Virus Copy!"

"This is good insofar. Bring out more of 'em." Tesla instructed.

She was witnessing what Video Man was doing with the Viruses.

"Destroy 'till nothing is left standing! Heh, heh, heh!" She commanded.

_Laugh, you villain. You'll soon find out you've underestimated Dr. Wily and he's not going to let someone play around with his copyrighted name so easily. _"K. S." grinned as he made his way to the Science Labs.

"Cheers to our upcoming victory! Let's squeeze this number one trick and see the display we cause!"

"Hmpf…"

Inukai was distractedly tapping a finger on one arm: he had both arms crossed and seemed to be thinking.

"Why are you putting such a scary face? You look annoyed…" Narcy told him.

"It's boring."

"Why? We're winning!" Narcy told him.

"Nevertheless…! I won't feel like we've won just like this!"

Two cranes being controlled by Rock Man engaged: they grabbed one of the giant Mettools and lifted it up.

"W-what? What's going on?" Narcy was baffled.

"This guy is…" Inukai muttered.

The cranes detached so the Mettool fell to the ground and was deleted.

"Inukai, Narcy! I won't allow you guys to get away with it!" Netto yelled from atop a rooftop.

"Oh! My, my! You can't hurt them just by attacking from the Cyber World!" Narcy looked unimpressed.

"And here I thought ya wouldn't come… If I can't defeat you then I won't feel like I've won!" Inukai grinned.

"Shouldn't we join efforts? Let's make it beautiful!"

"If you insert this then it'll be completed. A device to change the "Dimensional Element" to be used by these trucks… Well, but we shouldn't get too jumpy either…"

Wily showed everyone a revised version of the "Element" attached to a circuit board and eyed the obscure sky.

"… Go, Viruses! Beat both Hikari Netto and Rock Man to a pulp!" Inukai commanded with his whip.

_I'm counting on you, Saito – niisan!_

_Yeah! Leave it to me!_

He plugged into a radio antenna.

"Rock Buster!"

An electrical burst hit the three fish Viruses.

"… You've guts, don't you…? But how long will you be able to stand up to them?" He was unimpressed.

Maha inserted the revised "Dimensional Element" into one truck and the other two ignited.

"Good! Success! Let's go! We'll show those clowns what the real WWW's about!" Wily commanded.

"YEAH!" The former WWW members raised a fist.

The trucks drove with the delivery van in front while the eclipse was nearing the max point.

"Let's go and beat 'em up!" Dingo rallied.

"Netto! Wait for us!" Dekao muttered.

Some Trumpet Viruses shot sonic waves towards Manabe and some policemen while they also broke a car.

"Go! Terminate them!"

Inukai was using his whip to command the Viruses and Netto barely dodged them.

_Niisan!_

He shot a control device for some pipes: bursts of fire erased two ant Viruses: both Rock Man and Netto were panting by now.

"… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! It's hard for you, it'd seem! I'll make you be at peace! Go!" Inukai yelled.

Two giant Garuu Viruses appeared: Netto barely dodged their dolls of fire and had to skid along the ground, getting some bruises in the process: Inukai walked in front of him.

"Rather die-hard, eh, gnat? I'll look on for a while!" He mocked.

Narcy and Video Man were standing behind him.

"But, unfortunately enough… Even while you were standing up pretty well… This is _the end_!" Narcy exclaimed.

The eclipse reached the max point and Netto stood up.

"Devils!"

"Do it!" Inukai yelled at the Viruses.

_Saito – niisan!_

_Otouto!_

"Don't give up…!" Dekao began saying nearby.

"… so quickly!" Dingo finished nearby as well.

The eclipse started to fade and they opened their eyes, which they'd closed in fear.

"Guts Punch!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

Two water faucets shot dolls of water which hit both fire-elemental Viruses and Inukai, who roared.

"Netto!" Dekao yelled.

"We've had you wait!" Dingo added.

"Dekao! Dingo!" Netto greeted.

Narcy and Video Man turned around as well.

"Netto! Cross Fusion!" Dekao told him.

"What are you babbling 'bout?" Video Man mocked.

"True! It'll be impossible until the solar eclipse ends!" Narcy added.

"We can! We can form "Dimensional Areas", ya see!" Dingo exclaimed with a grin.

Two trucks appeared on one end of the street and the third appeared on the second end of the street.

"Dimensional Converter…" Hinoken started.

"ENGAGE!" The other two members and he announced at the same time.

The trucks started up and a "Dimensional Area" formed.

"A "Dimensional Area"!" Netto exclaimed in relief.

Both Narcy and Video Man were stunned.

"Why did it? Why has it? _Why!_" He protested.

_Heh. You herd of fools. It's not like you'd understand. _"K. S." grinned.

_Otouto! It's payback time!_

_Yeah! Payback time!_

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Ki~h! But! Even if you performed "Cross Fusion" you're like a tiny bug trying to tackle on an elephant! You won't be able to defeat the Giant Viruses!" Narcy protested while waving his right arm.

"GO! Crush them!" Inukai commanded.

Three Earthquake Viruses fell on top of him.

"Netto!" Dekao yelled.

"We did it?" Narcy asked.

"I didn't even have to sweat…" Inukai muttered.

But "CF" Netto was using a Drill Arm to get out of the underground.

_We have to defeat Video Man firstly, otouto!_

_I get it!_

"CF" Netto emerged in front of the "Asteroid", who didn't expect that.

"What!" He gasped.

"Battle Chip, Fumikomizan! Ya~h!"

"CF" Netto sliced the tape.

"GA~H! M-my precious tape has…!" Video Man gasped.

"CF" Netto flipped some meters backwards.

"You can't spawn any new gigantic Viruses!"

_Now! Otouto!_

"Yeah! PROGRAM ADVANCE! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! MUGEN VULCAN!"

"Yo~a~rgh! I hate… dismissals…! I hate dismissals!"

He exploded into a large cloud of dust.

"VIDEO MAN!"

All the materialized Viruses were deleted.

_HAH! TAKE THAT! _Freeze Man grinned.

_Hmpf. 2 "Asteroids" less… Your show of buffoons is coming to a close, Magnets! _

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Dekao chuckled

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!" Hinoken, Elec and Iroaya did the same.

Meijin saw it from his hospital and he smiled as the eclipse and "Dimensional Area" faded away.

"You did it. Netto – kun… Rock Man…" He eyed the miniature car.

BANG!

Tesla banged her desk

"How dare you! How dare you! You're asking for it! Unforgivable! Hikari Netto, Rock Man!" She hissed.

"Devils! I'll remember this!" Inukari cursed as he ran off.

"We'll definitely make a comeback: just ya wait!" Narcy added.

"You won't run away, de guts!"

Guts Man hit a control system and a geyser caught the two Neo WWW members.

"Ya~h! Help me~!" Narcy yelled.

"Let us down!"

"Inukai Takeo and Yamashita Hidenosuke! You're under arrest for your criminal acts!" Superintendent Manabe announced as she ran into the scene.

Both gasped and sighed in defeat: the eclipse faded completely.

"It's over!" Hinoken exclaimed.

"Ah! It worked!" Madoi sighed in relief as well.

"Rock Man's and the real WWW's _collaboration_ ended up being superb, I'd say!" Count Elec added.

"Somehow it held on…!"

He eyed the frizzling core of one of the trucks.

"Those thieves couldn't even see it coming after all."

"Brilliant. It was to be expected of Wily – sama." Maha added.

_Heh! These guys seem to have grown a bit. _Wily thought with a smile.

"Well! Today Netto ended up owning me!" Hinoken grinned.

"This is what we can do by fusing our strengths!" Maha smiled.

"Now that Wily – sama has returned… Our dream will be carried out!"

"That's right! The WWW's resurrection!" Iroaya affirmed.

"YEAH!" They all raised a fist.

When they looked back at the truck Wily was nowhere to be seen.

"E-eh? Huh?" Iroaya looked around.

"Wily – sama?" Maha asked.

"Wily - sama! _Come back_!" Hinoken was baffled.

"_Oh my God_!" Elec was desperate.

Rock Man and his two pals put their hands together to reaffirm their bond.

"Thanks, Guts Man, Tomahawk Man!"

"That was something obvious! De guts!"

"That's exactly it!" Tomahawk Man grinned.

"_Ittadakimasu~_!" Netto exclaimed.

He ate Maha Ichiban's curry.

"It's different! This is good! This time Dekao and the others got me out of trouble!" Netto announced in a rush as he kept on eating the curry.

"Netto! Don't speak with your mouth full!" Dekao scolded.

"Ops! Sorry, sorry!"

"The "Neo WWW" guys are our current enemies." Maha admitted.

"Yeah! I've sworn to the tomahawk I wouldn't let bad guys win!"

"We'll help you out! Netto!" Dekao punched his torso.

"_Thank you!_ But that'd be somewhat of a pinch, even! The curry is my energy, ya see…" Netto replied.

"Don't worry! Chu!"

"Huh? Chisao!"

Netto spotted him sitting atop a rotating chair and wearing cook attire.

"I protected the store back then! Chu!"

"He's done a hard vigilance too." Maha smiled.

"He does it pretty well! As expected from my little brother…!"

"Then...! You mean that this curry…!" Netto caught on.

Chisao put on the cook hat.

"I cooked it! Chu!"

He smiled and the symbol on the hat shone.

"Whoa! Cool, cool! Then… I'm gonna work my hardest to deserve my curry from now on!"

He began to devour it at a mad speed.

"…"Asteroids"! "Neo WWW"! I dunno 'bout 'em! This is home!"

"Good luck!" Chisao, Dingo and Dekao added.

_Well, well, well. All is good if it ends up well._

"K. S." was sitting on the back seat again and writing down some notes on his notebook: he finally ripped a page and wrote something on it before folding it to put into the pocket.

_Heh, heh, heh. Those clowns will soon be over. With only two "Asteroids" and Magnet Man left… What can they do? Well. Once they're out of the picture then we can tackle Umbra and the "Darkloids"… I've had some days too cool off and I think that the chap deserves a chance: if he behaves like that it's Cousin's blame. I'll settle it with the jerk later on._

"The bill, customer – san." Maha announced.

He took out the exact payment and then stood up to leave.

"Please come back again." Maha requested.

"K. S." walked past Netto's table and dropped the paper: Netto gasped and saw him coming out before checking it out.

"… "Clowns soon KO. Focus on the Quartet. K. S."… Huh…" Netto read aloud.

_He means that we'll have to focus on Umbra and co…_

_Umbra and co… We'll definitely beat them!_


	19. Chapter 18: Neo WWW Annhilation!

**Chapter 18: Neo WWW Annihilation!**

10:54 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 24th…

"… Ladies and gentlemen! Have a good look!"

The DNN chopper was flying around the city and Midorikawa was reporting while riding on it.

"Today we report that, finally, the world's tallest Orbital Elevator is complete!"

The chopper passed near the gigantic tower.

"It's… Yggdrasil! What an incredible size! Yggdrasil's maximum height surpasses the height of all other Orbital Elevators already built by heaps and bounds! You can be transported until the shuttle terminal, and, from there, shoot off unmanned shuttles! They're still at a driving testing stage so the unmanned shuttles are being employed for the retrieval of damaged artificial satellites. However! They say that the day in which we'll boundlessly explore the universe is not too far! It sounds exciting!"

The elevator tower had a vast command center at the top: shuttles came out and deployed satellites whose orbits were monitored and controlled from there.

_Let's check on the clowns… Or what's left of them._

"K. S." shut off the DNN's website Firefox tab and then brought up footage from his dragonfly.

"The very first large defeat of the "Neo WWW", they say!"

BLAM!

Tesla banged the table in which there was a newspaper with the photo of Inukai and Narcy being arrested.

"Those two… Both of them went down so easily!" She exclaimed.

"… Maybe the Net Police now has key info about this HQ… There's no mistaking that they plan on annihilating the "Neo WWW" in one blow!"

"What should be done, Ms. President?" Saiko asked.

_Aha-hah! You don't feel so invincible anymore, eh?_

"Like there was any point to that question! Our goal is to spread fear and chaos into the world! So… We'll spread them up! Spread first-rate fear and chaos…!" She smiled.

"Could it be, Ms. President…? You want to materialize _that_ scheme?"

"Obviously!" She replied with some annoyance.

"But the preparations for "that" are still underway…" Saiko argued.

"Besides! The analysis of the release codes for the facility's security hasn't yet…!" Sunayama protested.

"Then just get that analysis done on the double! You two belong to the glorious Network Crime organization: you're members of the "Neo WWW"! If you can't do something so simple then what are ya gonna do? We're now gonna display our true power to the whole world!"

"R-ROGER!"

Both members saluted and walked out while Tesla sat back on her revolving chair.

"Remember it! We will show you the Neo WWW's true power!" She proclaimed.

However, Umbra and his three lackeys had not missed it thanks to their hacking of a CCTV camera: he was leaning his body to the right and using his right hand to keep it leaning.

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh… Fear and chaos, eh? Not bad! Hmpf." He made a smug smile.

_So they plan on letting them come up with some show and then, when they're out of the picture, rise… As I'd predicted… But approaching him now is impossible… No. A chance will surely come. You're not really "evil," Umbra… That's Cousin's handiwork… Were it not for the jerk you could be a nice fellow to chat with… Remove Cousin and then… Hmpf…_

11:41 AM (Japan Time)…

"… Whoa! It's huge! I can't see the top of it at all!"

Netto went to visit the elevator with Meiru and Rush.

"But, Netto… Will we really come in? It's still off-limits for most people…"

"It'll be okay, okay! I just happened to get some permits from Papa! You can find the highest observation deck in the whole surface there! You can witness a panorama you can't see from a mere plane, or so they say!"

"E~h…" Meiru sounded awed.

"Okay! The next person..." A security man instructed.

They went through the security check: Netto checked in with his PET and the laser barrier disengaged.

"Thanks a lot!"

Meiru walked behind him next and passed: Rush checked in transferring his data, which made the security screen fill with "?" signs: he moved forward, nevertheless, under the surprise of the security staff.

_Heh, heh, heh. Mr. Rush can be somewhat of a hacker… _"K. S." amusedly looked on from the Science Labs room.

The three of them entered the elevator room which was a wide box-shaped room with a glass wall which allowed the people to see outside.

"Wow! It's wide!" Meiru exclaimed.

"This is the elevator?" Netto wondered.

"Yggdrasil has 30 elevators of this same size on it!"A guide announced.

They all looked awed at the expanding panorama.

_By the way, Netto – kun… Do you remember yesterday's note? Maybe the "Neo WWW" are going to pull a desperate plan?_

_Dunno. But even if they do we can beat them. If Tesla doesn't come up with more cheats…_

_Guess so, yeah…_

The customers exited into the observation decks a while later while wearing an astronaut-like outfit (which was just some simplistic blue suit with a zipper worn over the usual clothes) and Meiru gasped in awe at the panorama.

"… Cool! I feel like I'm riding in a space-ship, even!" Meiru commented.

"Aup, aup, aup!"

Rush jumped in excitement and ran off.

"Ah! Rush!" Netto called out.

_As usual… He's too hyperactive…_ Saito sounded slightly amused.

"… Confirming shuttle G-3's hi-check… Return to Base One as per the provided coordinates…"

The control center of Yggdrasil was checking on all unmanned shuttles controlled from there.

"The 25th elevator's satellite loading is confirmed. It's about to start transporting. Surface station: please stand by!"

"All seems to be progressing." A chief of staff walked next to him and another technician.

"Ah. Chief. Yes, sir. Even so… I'm surprised. I didn't imagine there were such huge numbers of damaged satellites piling up in Earth's surroundings."

"Before this Yggdrasil starts operating earnestly… We have to make some garbage disposal, you know. The tests of the unmanned shuttles are doing that. "

One technician spotted an unidentified shuttle.

"Huh? An unmanned shuttle is entering docking approach… Such a schedule hasn't been issued…"

The shuttle reduced speed and kept moving forward.

"That shuttle! You didn't send out a docking request!"

The shuttle opened a docking bay's door locks by sending out a laser to transfer something: it then headed inside of the bay.

_Trouble. _"K. S." grumbled.

The three "Neo WWW" Navis entered the control system: the lights shut off and the emergency ones turned on.

"What's that? What's the matter?" The chief asked.

"There are intruders in the main computer!"

"Impossible! Our security is worldwide top-class!" The chief exclaimed.

"It'd seem they're using the release codes!"

"A docking bay has engaged alone! The shuttle is docking!" Another technician reported.

The mystery shuttle docked and three people came out of it: one of them was Tesla.

"Heh!" She grinned.

"… Lion Head!"

"Neon Light!"

The two "Asteroids" made short work of the security and Magnet Man started to mess with the computer core: the lights and the elevators shut down: Netto flushed the toilet and stood up inside of the stand.

"Ah… Too close, too close… If I hadn't let water out then that sensation would've been chasing me…!

He was about to exit when he was surprised by the lights going out: he lost balance and sat back in the closed toilet while waving his arms so he dropped the PET and it slid under the door.

"Aw! Crap!"

He tried to press the exit button but it wasn't working.

"Oh? Huh?"

He kept on pressing.

"Huh?"

He began to bang the door.

"HU~H!"

He was now terrified: Meiru noticed the blackout while on the observation deck.

"Ah! What?"

"There's a blackout? That's odd… Please don't move from here, ladies and gentlemen!"

"… The intruders have broken through the Security Navi defenses! They've intruded the system! We can't get the control back!"

"Huh! Report to the Net Police ASAP!" The chief commanded.

"Just a little bit more… Another little bit more… And then…"

Netto was trying to reach out for the PET: he put some fingers on top it, but, because he wore plastic gloves, it slipped some centimeters away instead.

"Curses…! Devils! Niisan! Is there any way to open this door?"

"Since there's a blackout and the system's gone down then I can't Plug - In! And what's more: this could be…"

_Oh come on! He's going to be trapped in the toilet because some MORON thought "hey, how cool, let's make automated doors" and didn't think of WHAT IF there was a blackout? Those MORONS! _"K. S." was totally pissed off by now.

Net Police cars arrived at the base of the elevator and Manabe came out along with a riot squad unit: she eyed the elevator.

"Let's go!"

The technicians were running up and down.

"What's happening now?"

"No good! The satellite-retrieval shuttles are changing their orbits alone!"

"What?"

A shuttle opened its cargo bay and a robot arm came out, holding a satellite: it disengaged from the arm and flew out.

"The retrieved artificial satellites… are moving on their own!"

"What on Earth… is going on?" The Chief wondered.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Tesla showed up onscreen sitting on her straw armchair and wearing the astronaut suit.

"This is…!" Netto eyed the TV screen inside the stall.

"Tesla!" Superintendent Manabe was baffled.

"Greetings, Excellencies! I am the "Neo WWW" President: Tesla Magnets! Our "Neo WWW" is going to spread purification across the world! We've already successfully taken over the Yggdrasil Orbital Elevator's systems. Thus, by using the unmanned shuttles controlled by Yggdrasil, we'll cause toss artificial satellites all over the world's regions!" She announced.

She displayed the images of how the shuttles released their satellites but "K. S." was far from impressed.

_Please. Pharaoh Man tried that too. And it failed. You know why? Because satellites are too small in size to resist re-entry at top speed while being dragged in by the Earth's atmosphere! In short: they'll burn up before hitting the ground! Come on! Kosmos 954, for example, burnt up and only some fragments landed there: and even if Skylab didn't break apart until 16 kilometers from the surface because of a calculation error in de-orbiting, it didn't hit the ground either! Magnets! You've fallen for some dime sci-fi tale about falling satellites: there's no such thing!_

A 3D model of Earth showed satellite orbits and their estimated impact points across the world.

"There's no mistaking it! All kinds of satellites have entered descent orbit!"

"There's 30 minutes left before the orbital satellites descend. Make SURE~ to engrave within your eyes the fear and chaos which are going to convulse the whole world!"

She pointed one finger at the screen and got closer to the camera as if wanting to say "I-see-you-guys" before she stepped back.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Curses! Those guys… What a thing to happen!" The Chief hissed.

Sunayama finished filming inside of another room.

"The Net Police is coming. Be prepared." Tesla declared.

The door was triggered open using localized charges and Manabe along with various police officers got in.

The control center controlling the shuttles from this Orbital Elevator is right ahead. If we don't get back control in less than 30 minutes then something tragic will…!" She instructed.

"Welcome to Yggdrasil!" Tesla declared.

"The "Neo WWW"!" Manabe gasped.

"… Catching up? You shouldn't have been able to climb up here given how we stopped the elevator! But… Since I've been longing to see your defeated faces then I issued a special invitation."

Manabe made a scowl.

_So you let them in purpose. To brag. How typical of you, Tesla Magnets, totally typical of you. Well. Freeze Man's there. Take care of Desert Man once the "Dimensional Area" comes in. _"K. S." was unimpressed but his Navi spotted the diamond.

"Shuryou. I'm on standby, sir."

"Good. I know Rock Man's there. Just wait for him to come."

"Roger, sir."

"… Well! 30 minutes left are before the world is filled with terror and chaos! If you wanna stop us then go ahead and stop us! Net Police!"

"Charge upon them!"

The officers rushed towards them.

"Hmpf!"

The two "Asteroids" appeared and kicked them back.

"If you say you wanna arrest Saiko and the others then…"

"You'll have to beat us before you can get at them!" Desert Man added.

"They used the "Dimensional Chips"!" Manabe knew they were in trouble.

"Neon Light!"

They barely jumped out of the way.

"Heavy Sand!"

"… I can't believe the world's in a pinch and that I'm trapped inside a toilet stall unable to do a thing!"

Netto was trying to pull the door out of the frame.

"Curse you, Tesla! This…! This…! This…!"

He broke the handle and hit the back of his head against the toilet.

"Netto? Are you okay?" Meiru's voice echoed from the corridor.

"Meiru – chan?" His eyes filled with energy.

"I waited a lot for you to get back so I got worried! Hey! Have you seen Tesla's broadcast?" She called out while standing in the corridor.

"I'm saved!" Netto exclaimed.

"Huh?" Meiru glanced at the threshold.

"Meiru – chan! I'm locked in! Give me a hand in opening this!"

"E~H?"

She recoiled until she met the far wall.

"N-nope! This is the men's toilet! Ain't it!"

She pointed an accusing finger at the "men" sign.

"If I don't get outta here then I won't be able to crush Tesla and her gang's ambitions!" Netto exclaimed.

"But you should realize that I'm a girl! I can't go into the men's toilet no matter what!"

"This isn't a time to get ashamed!" Netto yelled.

"B-b-but!"

"… The satellites are entering the atmosphere! We have twenty minutes left before they drop across the world!"

The satellites were reaching the outer atmosphere.

"Otouto! The satellites have entered the atmosphere!"

"That can't be! Meiru – chan!" Netto gasped.

Meiru was absolutely nervous: she wandering around the corridor.

"B-but! Uh-huh…!" She sounded nervous.

People on the surface saw the trail of smoke a satellite made upon descending and ran for it.

_Come on, Ms. Sakurai! Like he said: this isn't a moment to worry about gender! You're the only one who can help him! _

"I wish for Meiru – chan to lend me your strength!"

Meiru reacted to his words.

"It's for the sake of protecting the world from the evil tricks of "Neo WWW"! For the sake of justice! I wish for Meiru – chan to lend me your strength!"

"Netto…"

"I'm counting on ya, Meiru – chan!" Netto rallied.

"… I get it, Netto! I was mistaken! That's right! I don't care what's embarrassing anymore! I'll open it! For the sake of justice, for Netto's sake… I'm so gonna open the men's toilet! Hold in there, Netto!" She exclaimed while looking resolved.

She ran off and entered a door on the right side of the corridor while the "Asteroids" kept on giving trouble to the Net Police members

"Spark Arm!"

They barely dodged the incoming spheres of electricity.

"Oh come on! Where's Rock Man at?"

"Maybe he's trying to make his way there: it isn't easy with the whole place being in a blackout." Gospel calmly replied.

"Ah! I apologize for my blurting, sir… It was below my dignity."

"Don't mind it."

Meiru ran across a corridor.

"Hum… Eh… Hum…"

She stopped since she'd found a storeroom.

"That will do!" She exclaimed.

She spotted a big wrench.

"… Hey! Can't you try somehow to detonate the satellites? All artificial satellites are supposed to have a self-destruct mechanism for this kind of occasion!" The chief told the men.

"We've been trying for a while! We can't get the self-destruct code to be accepted!" One technician reported.

Magnet Man messed with the computer core and looked smug and amused.

"Try all you want: it's all in vain… Hmpf. 12 minutes left until the descent..." He muttered.

He smiled and eyed a holographic screen showing the "Asteroids" giving trouble to the Net Police members.

"If we can hold that much… We'll win."

Meiru used the large-scale wrench.

"Wait in there, Netto! I'll open it right now!"

She made pressure.

"This…!" She hissed.

"Do your best, Meiru – chan!" Netto rallied.

"Huh…! Being in the men's toilet is somewhat…! I won't let 'em break the world's peace!" She hissed.

"Huh… Meiru – chan… It ain't the men's toilet fault but the fault of the "Neo WWW", you know…" Roll called out.

Meiru's PET was placed horizontally in the ground next to Netto's. Roll held up her right palm while Rock Man kept his eyes closed, seemingly bearing with it.

"SORYA~H…!" She roared.

She managed to break the lock and to make the door jump out the frame: she fell into the ground from the inertia and Netto stood in there, baffled, before she stood up and panted.

"… Huff! What an annoying men's toilet… Trying to drop fear into the world…! They're ten years too early!"

"_A-arigatou, _Meiru – chan…"

"That's why it ain't the men's toilet fault but the fault of the "Neo WWW"…" Roll insisted.

Netto picked his PET.

"Niisan! Do you know where the "Neo WWW" dudes are at?"

"…They probably are on the block located below where the control center is at. But…" He trailed off.

"Good! Let's go!"

However, the internal elevators were not working.

"I should've imagined it wouldn't work…" Netto muttered.

"It won't start up with this blackout…" Meiru sighed.

"… Niisan! How much time do we have left until any of the satellites fall down?" Netto asked.

"10 minutes left! We have to hurry or we won't make it on time!"

They ran towards an observation deck and eyed the section of the elevator below them.

"There! In this case…! Science Labs! Deploy a "Dimensional Area"!"

A bubble surrounded the control center.

"About time!" Freeze Man muttered.

"Freeze Man. Cool it down. Be calm."

"Huh! I apologize, Shuryou."

"Get ready to focus on Desert Man."

"Roger!"

"Good! Let's go, niisan!"

"Yeah!"

"Netto! I'm coming, too!" Meiru announced.

"Meiru – chan!"

"Rush! Where are you? Come!"

Rush ran over there while skidding across the ground.

"Rush! Give me the hand!"

He placed his hand on her palm.

"Up-flip!"

He did so.

"Top dance!"

He put on a top hat and grabbed a stick as he danced forth and back.

"Oho! Cool, cool! You really can do anything, Rush! The Rush Synchro Chip!"

Rush began the maneuver and realized a second too late that Meiru had tricked him.

"Good! I did it!" She jumped around in victory.

"Meiru – chan…" Netto had gotten a sweat drop.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Both announced.

Meiru's "Cross Fusion" form was formed.

The helmet's form was pretty similar to that of Roll with the upper half being bright pink and the lower half being colored using a redder shade of pink: a white thin stripe arching like the Alphabet "V" letter marked the border: Roll's typical "buttons" on the forehead and the antennae which sprouted from it were there too.

Her main bodysuit was sleeveless and revealed the "raw" black "skin" and ended up in the form of a skirt extending past the hips: a purplish band ran down across it from the neck, surrounded the chest emblem, and ended up as an arrow aiming downwards.

Her forearms were covered in pink "skin" and gained a ring which was worn around the elbow along with a reddish dome-shaped jewel set on a vertical oval-shaped elbow-guard.

Her legs included two black round stripes starting below the hips but before the knees in each one.

The boots included a knee-guard the design of which was identical to that of the elbows: the edge of it formed a purple shade of pink arch over the toe fingers: the soils were black.

Lastly, a string of purplish/pinkish hair identical to Roll's was coming out from behind the helmet and included a green lace near the end.

_Hum! Reminds me of Mr. Ijuuin's PET II "Cross Fusion" form…_

"Let's go, Meiru – chan! Battle Chip, Barrier! Slot In!"

"... We're running out of time…" Manabe muttered.

"5 minutes left. Ms. President: we have won." Saiko announced with a smile.

There was a glass breaking sound and two light spheres colored blue and pink came in: the two spheres hit the "Asteroids" and kicked them away while the broken glass was covered by a shutter to stop the air from escaping.

"What on Earth is that…?" Tesla and Manabe simultaneously muttered.

The bubbles dispersed to reveal both "CF" Netto and "CF" Meiru who landed there.

"Rock Man!" Tesla gasped.

"Hmpf… Your doom came. Eat diamonds, you Sand Man wannabe!" Freeze Man grinned.

Freeze Man shot the diamonds and Desert Man gasped as his movements seemed to slow down.

"Speed cut by 37.5%... How's that like?" He grinned.

"… Everyone! Step back! … Tesla! I won't let you guys do whatever you like!" "CF" Netto pointed an accusing finger at them.

"Why are you here?" She demanded.

"… Netto – kun! The computer controlling the satellites is beyond that spot!" Manabe signaled.

"I won't let you drop with the satellites!"

"You guys!" Sunayama called out the two "Asteroids".

"Neon Light!"

"I'll have to hurry… Battle Chip, Fumikomi Cross!"

Two Sword Battle Chips appeared on "CF" Netto's arms: he dodged the attack and moved forward at a great speed thus making a cut to Flash Man in the form of the Alphabet "X" letter.

"Uoh!" He yelled.

"Battle Chip, Search Gun!"

He locked three cursors on the target and shot an array of shots: Flash Man yelled.

"Flash Man!"

"I did it!"

However, Flash Man was still standing while panting and filled with bruises across his body.

"What?" "CF" Netto gasped.

"Shining Grand Crusher!"

Various white light beams joined into one and the attack hit "CF" Netto: Flash Man was still panting, however.

"You won't get in Saiko's way… I won't ever let you!" He exclaimed while panting.

"Flash Man…" Saiko muttered.

"Netto!" "CF" Meiru gasped as she looked at him.

"Lion Head!"

She barely dodged.

"3 minutes left!" Tesla declared.

"Are you okay, Meiru – chan?" Roll asked her.

"Netto…"

She managed to sit on her knees while Desert Man loomed in front of her: he was still seemingly feeling the effects of Freeze Man's diamonds because his body moved rather slowly.

"Netto, I went for it… You wished for me to lend you my strength… Until now Netto was the one protecting and watching over me because I was unable to do anything…!"

"That's when you intended to fight, too, Meiru – chan…" Roll muttered.

"CF" Meiru stood up.

"What I've decided is… I've finally gotten it! I have the same power as Netto! I'm using it for Netto's sake! That's why… I won't lose at all against the likes of the men's toilet!" She exclaimed.

"Meiru – chan… I said it wasn't the toilet's fault…" Roll sighed in defeat.

"Lion Head!"

"CF" Meiru managed to dodge the attack.

"Rush Hole!"

A pit which connected to the Cyber World opened and Desert Man was sucked in.

"What! Is this an ability included in the "Rush Synchro Chip"…? Impressive! It acts like a gravitational pit!" Freeze Man admitted.

"Heh. Leave it to them to remove the interlopers… And this time around, Freeze Man… We'll be subtler… Slowly stretching our aim… Let's collect battle data and thanks to that… We'll rise again." Gospel replied.

"Good, good…" Freeze Man grinned.

"O~a~h! Sunayama~!" He roared.

"Desert Man!"

Desert Man tried to get one hand out of the pit but he exploded.

"DESERT MA~N!" Sunayama yelled in panic.

"CF" Netto managed to stand up.

_Otouto! 2 minutes left! Hurry it up!_

Both opponents eyed each other and jumped into the air at the same time.

"Battle Chip, Flame Sword, Bamboo Sword!"

"Shining Grand Crusher!"

The two of them clashed and moved in opposite directions: all three members of the "Neo WWW" gasped.

"Sai… ko…" Flash Man muttered.

He exploded as well.

"FLASH MA~N!" Saiko yelled.

"It c-can't be! They were two "Asteroids"!" Tesla yelled.

"Manabe – san! The rest is in your hands! Battle Chip, Area Steal!" "CF" Netto announced.

"Now! Charge them!"

Sunayama was standing while Saiko was on his knees and Tesla ran for her money.

"Come to this end…!" She muttered.

She tried to insert her "Synchro Chip" onto the PET but Manabe tackled her and she fell to the ground: the PET and the "Synchro Chip" slid out of reach.

"I won't let you use "Cross Fusion"!" She announced with a smile as she held onto her waist.

Magnet Man was still messing with the control system.

"Battle Chip, Shotgun! Slot In!"

The attack hit him and he grumbled something under his breath.

"Give it up already, Magnet Man! The "Neo WWW" has lost!" Rock Man announced.

"Che. Like this…!" He grumbled.

He fled and the control returned.

"We got the control back!"

"There's about one minute left until satellites' descent!"

"Explode them!"

The technicians did so and the satellites exploded: people from the surface stared in awe and relief: the "Dimensional Area" faded from Yggdrasil.

"Netto!" Meiru greeted him as he came out of the control area.

"… Yes, sir. I understand. Good work! We were able to detonate all satellites when there was just 1 minute left before descent: zero casualties." Manabe reported.

"I'm glad to hear it." Netto smiled.

"Don't touch me! Hell! "

Tesla was struggling to break free of the grasp of two policemen.

"And the "Neo WWW" is over too!" Netto smiled.

"Yeah! That's true."

"Let go of me!"

"Hmpf." Umbra's ominous gaze showed up.

A "Dimensional" Converter popped out: a vertical white shaft of light formed on her feet and the policemen stepped away.

"That's… a "Dimensional Converter"!"

Tesla _vanished_, to everyone's surprise.

"…. Where am I…?"

Tesla dared to open her eyes and realized that she was standing inside of the "Neo WWW" HQ's President Office: she did not see the three figures standing behind her, near to the desk, nor the "Dimensional Converter" deployed nearby.

"The "Neo WWW" HQ…!"

She turned and gasped: someone sitting in her armchair, which was half-turned towards the right.

"… Huff…"

Saiko Rei was sitting inside of a police cell when a "Dimensional Converter" popped out in front of him.

"What the heck is this…?" He wondered.

The "Dimensional Converter" expelled some electricity and vanished: Saiko stood there, seemingly surprised.

"What… am I doing… here... of all places? Futile! I can't remember! An opening!" He exclaimed.

He ran towards the slit which allowed one to see the corridor.

"Excuse me! Please let me out! If I don't register tomorrow then I won't make it on time for the competition! HEY! ANYONE~!" He called out while banging the door.

The same thing happened to Sunayama: he sat up on the bench and looked around, confused.

"What the…? What am I… doing here…?"

Inukai also got the same effects.

"Huh?" He blinked in surprise.

And so did Narcy.

"Yikes! Eh?"

18:18 PM (Japan Time)…

"… How could have this happened…?"

Manabe was sitting inside of her office and holding her PET: Netto was there, too.

"What's the problem, Manabe – san?" He asked.

"The arrested Neo WWW members' memories seem to have vanished all of a sudden! What's more: it happened to the whole of the four members." Manabe reported.

"It can't be!" Netto gasped.

"Just what's going on?" Manabe wondered.

"Netto – kun! You have a call!" Rock Man reported.

Netto eyed the PET and was taken aback.

"Umbra!" He yelled.

In effect: Umbra could be seen sitting on a surface somewhere and leaning his body towards the right: his right fist was pressed against his cheek and he looked calm.

"What did you say?" Manabe gasped as she stood up from the chair.

"Hiya, Netto – kun… I thought I needed to tell you one little thing… I've taken over the whole of the facilities owned by the "Neo WWW"."

"What did you say? AH! Tesla!"

In effect: the camera had moved sideways to show both Umbra and Tesla, who was sitting on her rotating chair, apparently out cold: Umbra could be seen having his right leg resting on his left hip and his left fist leaning on his right hip.

"Compared to humans like me… I thought I'd come in handy to make use of their facilities! What's more! Because I thought it could become an eyesore I bothered to go and erase the memories of the four "Neo WWW" guys too…!"

Umbra corrected his pose slightly by signaling Tesla with his right forearm and having his left one rest on the table: he then lowered his right forearm to also lean on the table and approached the camera a bit.

"So it was your handiwork!"

"From now on, I… I'll be spreading fear and terror across the world, you see. My greetings!"

He made a smug smile before the screen was filled with static and the communication vanished.

_Oh come on. That's another of Cousin's ideas. Well. The bunch of clowns and those 4 "Asteroids" are gone so we now have to handle these 4 who won't do any random idiocy. Especially is Cousin is behind them._

"… Shuryou. Did you hear it, sir?"

"Yeah. Troublesome… Really. More interlopers. It's not like as if we didn't have enough of them!" Gospel grumbled.

"Oe! Umbra! Oe! It can't be…" Netto gasped.

_Hmmm? Phone again. Che._

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Cut the crap. I know it's you lowlife. You can't escape the inevitable: Rule Kinship 003 will be brought up." "K. S." fumed.

"… Hmpf… Yeah… An order's an order and I never question the orders from the very top… It'll be amusing to see… Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"You better don't think that little game of you will be eclipsed for much longer once Duo's outta the picture."

"Wait and see! _Traîte_. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" The man taunted next.

"Che. They fled… Whatever. Hmpf."

_You won't learn your lesson? What a stubborn man! I'll do whatever it takes to stop you! Draw out your blade! Fight like a man!_


	20. Chapter 19: Top Secret Orders CF

**Chapter 19: Top Secret Orders C.F.**

10:39 AM (Japan Time), Sunday October the 25th…

"… Hmmm…"

Airstar was flying around the city on his chopper..

"Hey… You're thinking about the "Neo WWW" girlfriend again?"

"_Former_ Neo WWW!" He corrected.

He took out Tesla's ring to look through it and spot Duo's comet.

"There are others… Apart from me and her who can see that comet. And her organization was hijacked by Umbra… It'd be good if she was fine, but… Hum?"

The console beeped and Airstar eyed a Net Police chopper tailing him.

"We've been ordered to land." Gyro Man reported.

"What did you say?" He sounded incredulous.

"Cruising chopper: land in the next spot."

"My, my… Gyro Man! Did you really properly dispatch the fight plan?"

"Charlie… Obey already." Gyro Man replied.

He descended along with the NS chopper: two men came out that.

"Charlie Airstar - san." One of the men showed him his badge.

"What do you want out of me?" He asked with a hint of annoyance.

"Heh." The man merely smiled.

"… Believe…! Believe…! Where's the delivery place at…? God of wilderness…! Believe!"

Dingo threw his tomahawk into the air, as usual, and it had the bad luck to break a car's door while two men came down.

"Hmmm?" One wondered.

"Ah! This is bad…" Dingo got a sweat drop on the right side of his head and looked in panic.

"That happens because you throw the tomahawk around when you dunno the road!" Tomahawk Man fumed while sounding rather annoyed over the whole deal.

"I-I'm sorry, mister…"

"Dingo – kun, I assume?"

"Net Police."

"E~H? I wasn't opposing!"

"Hurry up and apologize, Dingo!"

A girl was taking care of a lion (Umonusuke, Inukai's pet) while sitting outside his cage: an incense lamp was placed nearby.

The girl appeared to be around Netto's age and height.

Her hair was colored black and was neatly arranged while being rolled into two spring rolls shapes beneath the ears: her eyes had a tint of brown to them too.

She wore a simple one-piece white suit with a red-edged skirt reaching past her knees: the sleeves reached all the way to the sleeves and had red cuffs on them while the neck area was also colored red.

She sported white socks and thick black wooden platform shoes which looked hand-made and simplistic.

"The wound on his heart, now that he's freed from bad guys, seems to be healing like Jasmine had predicted."A Navi announced.

_Ah-hah! So those are Ms. Jasmine and Ms. Meddy… Let's check up our archives…_

"K. S." brought up a photo of a Navi while observing Jasmine.

This Navi's general height appealed to be at around a meter and sixty, more or less.

Her helmet's main color was navy blue and it covered her whole head: reddish transparent shades shielded her bluish eyes while two hair string-like shapes formed from each side of the forehead having a small reddish band near the end of them.

The rear part of the helmet had a cylinder-like shape emerging from it which also had a thin reddish band towards the end of it: her ear pads had a reddish outer rim and the insides were white: nothing particular was drawn into it.

A curved white-colored object was set slightly over her forehead and had her emblem drawn into it: four upper-half-of-a-finger-shaped and red-colored forms aiming NW, NE, SW and SE with a diamond-shaped white space set on its center: the rim was colored blue and the rest of the space was colored white.

She wore a white bodysuit over the central part of her body which ended around the hips while forming an irregular-sphere-like form: two lines of a brownish color travelled down it starting slightly beneath the neck and ending past the hips: they drew two circles at around the hips' height.

The bodysuit was sleeveless, so part of her arms' "skin" was exposed: the forearm covering began around the elbow and included a small circle which was placed above the elbow: her fingers were covered by that white "glove" like-material.

Part of her legs' "skin" was exposed until the boots began around the knees' height: they had a slightly heel-shoe-like form with reddish domes forming around the ankles on the "outer" side of each boot: the "inner" side only had a circle drawn inside of it.

"That's true! Umonusuke's heart wound will soon be filled with tenderness."

Umonusuke growled and turned his head towards the door.

"What's wrong, Umonusuke?"

Jasmine eyed the two Net Police men standing in the threshold with obvious surprise.

19:22 PM (Japan Time)…

_Hum! Mr. Rokushadama has been singled out next…_

Rokushamada was testing out several fireworks: a car was parked nearby and the two Net Police members were on it: they eyed a photo of him as if to check it up.

"Their beauty is improving by leaps and bounds, Nenjiro!"

"How many times have I said that? I'm not Nenjiro!"

"Rokushadama Nenji – kun, I assume?"

One of the Net Police men walked over to him:

"Huh?" He wondered.

"… Meijin has departed for Sharo as per Hikari – hakase's request. It's finally beginning."

Manabe showed up on Commissioner Kifune's office with a report and he slowly nodded in approval.

"Yes."

Kifune turned his chair and eyed the night skyline.

"What's left is… To pray for the project's success!"

_Some project, eh? I'm starting to suspect what it is about… Huh? The phone AGAIN! Che!_

"… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Another of Maria's vain lessons?"

"… How dare you use such a plebeian name to address "Ice Queen – sama"? You lowlife!" The man quickly got annoyed.

"Hmpf. I win this round."

"Che! Next time things will be different. My word!"

"Bring it on anytime, you rascal. Hmpf!"

16:14 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday October the 27th…

"… If you wanted to know… Dingo took a leave."

"A leave…?

"The day before yesterday... He'd gone out to deliver and he suddenly called me… "Please lemme take a leave from the store"…"

Netto and Maha were chatting at Maha Ichiban's.

"He didn't say anything else? Like where he was going to…"

"No." Maha simply replied.

"Hmmm… That's unusual for Dingo…"

"Yes, sir! The Maha Special is ready: sorry for the wait."

"Woho~!"

Meiru entered the restaurant.

"Netto!"

"Ah! Meiru – chan!"

"Welcome!"

"I brought this kitty along, though…" She announced.

She held up a bag: the cat's head was surrounded by cardboard cone used to prevent them from spreading illnesses.

"It does not matter. A cat - chan?" Maha smiled.

"A friend entrusted it to you again?"

"True. They keep on being somewhat violent… A Maha Special!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Rush found it around this district next to a wall… I'll return it to Yui – san by now." Meiru told him.

"Meow!"

"Hmmm…" Netto smiled.

"I heard it from the local teacher, but… See! It was roaming close to Nenji – san's firework – making warehouse!" She added.

"Yeah. I know the place..." Netto admitted.

"Two days ago, after the fireworks contest, Nenji – san suddenly took a leave, they say." Meiru let out next.

"Huh? Nenji – san too?" Netto was beginning to get concerned.

"Too…?" Meiru asked.

"Yes, ma'am! The Maha Special is ready: sorry for the wait."

Maha leant on the counter.

"Truth is: Dingo's missing as well since the day before yesterday." He let out.

"Dingo too?" Meiru asked.

"I have returned!"

Dekao entered with his cook uniform.

"Good work!" Maha congratulated.

"Yoo, Netto! Welcome, Meiru – chan!"

"It must be hard without Dingo helping, Deako – kun!"

"I'll be working hard until I meet my future of opening a curry business along with Meiru – chan! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

Dekao laughed and Meiru put on a perplexed face: Dekao began to tap the cat's bag and it bit his finger.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… YIKES!"

"It was splendid!" Netto exclaimed.

"Oh? True! Netto… I just called the Animal Farm, but…" Deko began.

"Oh! Is Jasmine fine?"

"… That's… She's in a leave ever since the day before yesterday's afternoon." Dekao let out.

"A leave…?" Netto muttered.

"It's not like it's something important, but…"

"What a coincidence. For all those "Crest" holders to go missing two days ago…" Meiru commented.

Netto did look concerned.

"… Dingo, Nenji – san, and even Jasmine…?" He muttered.

"… Hmpf."

Swallow Man flew down into the soccer field in "New" Internet City: he kicked the soccer ball with brute force, making it explode when it reached the goal post.

"Hmpf!"

"Elec Storm!"

Electric discharges fell from the sky and electrocuted Navis: Cloud Man's handiwork.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

Cosmo Man was standing on a building's side while seemingly defying gravity altogether.

"Accursed puppets of the humans…"

He extended his right forearm: the ground distorted and blocks separated from it and shot skywards, thus taking lots of Navis with them.

"… Commissioner! The "Darkloids" have showed up within Internet City!"

"Contact Netto – kun ASAP!"

"… I'm counting on you, niisan! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

_Let's beat 'em all, otouto!_

_Yeah! _Rock and roll_!_

"I thought you'd come…"

Umbra was sitting atop Tesla's desk with a grin on his face.

_Wasn't it obvious? _"K. S." wasn't surprised.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Rock Man entered Net City and barely dodged a mad soccer ball: the three "Darkloids" were there.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"The "Darkloids"!"

"Battle Chip, Air Wheel! Slot In!"

The "Darkloids" barely dodged the attack and jumped out of the way.

"Swallow Cutter!"

"Elec Storm!"

"Cosmo Ring!"

The attacks hit Rock Man.

_Ah! So they showed up! The savages! Time for some medicine! _Freeze Man thought as he formed his diamond atop a building.

"Soul Unison, Gyro Soul! Slot In!"

Rock Man flew out from the smoke.

"Tornado Arm!"

Rock Man drew a fan on his right forearm and shot a coiling burst of air towards the enemies.

"Swallow Cutter!"

"Elec Storm!"

"Cosmo Gate!"

Cosmo Man opened a "gate" from which some small spheroid objects began to shoot out like meteors: the attacks hit Rock Man and his "Soul Unison" was cancelled.

_Che. 3 VS 1: how typical of cowards!_

"Heart Slash!"

"Mega Guts Punch!"

The three "Darkloids" shielded themselves from the attacks.

_Well. Maybe we can even the odds._

"Are you okay, Rock Man?" Roll asked him.

Rock Man had bruises on his body by now.

"We'll lend our power, de guts!"

"Roll – chan! Guts Man!"

"Meiru – chan! Dekao!" Netto spoke with them over his PET's screen.

"Sorry for the holdup, Netto!"

"Give them a run for their money!" Dekao added.

"Battle Chip, Aqua Tower! Slot In!"

"Battle Chip, Big Hammer! Slot In!"

"Aqua Tower!"

"Big Hammer! Gutsu!"

The attack sent Swallow Man and Cosmo Man flying across the air: they seemingly hadn't expected them to be that strong.

_Hah. Eat that, you savages._

"Mini Cloud! Cloud Cross Thunder!"

The multiple electrical discharges hit the two Navis.

"Magic Shadow Clone!"

Magic Man summoned three copies and fired at the clouds.

"MAGIC FIRE!"

The attacks destroyed the small clouds while Dekao and Meiru turned to see Maha with his PET.

"Battle Chip, Aka Tsunami Hole! Slot In!"

A doll of red water shot skywards hitting the three "Darkloids": they didn't see some ice spears hitting them from below but they did feel them plunging into their bodies.

_Eat medicine. _

"Soul Unison, Search Soul! Slot In!"

"Satellite Ray!"

A small satellite appeared over Rock Man.

"Scope Gun!"

Rock Man locked on Cloud Man and the two attacks shot towards the "Darkloids": they impacted and caused an explosion.

"… Dimensional Area… Activate…"

SNAP!

Umbra snapped his right hand's fingers and "Dimensional Converters" emerged.

"A "Dimensional Area"…!" Netto gasped.

"Cosmo Gate!"

A rift opened and various planetoid-shaped objects shot out, thus damaging the area: Netto looked on, stunned, before he jumped to the ground and lied in there while shielding his head with his arms.

_Look at the sky, otouto! _

Netto spotted the "gate" there.

_Cosmo Man is inside of that!_

_Yes. Dispose of them! _"K. S." looked on with increasing annoyance.

"I get you, niisan! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"CF" Netto jumped towards the rift using the planetoid-shaped objects.

"Program Advance! Hi – Cannon, Triple Slot In! GIGA CANNON!"

The attack tore through an incoming object and hit the rift: a white burst of light and an explosion ensued: "CF" Netto landed on a roof.

"It stopped?" He wondered aloud.

_Otouto! Behind!_

Cosmo Man was standing there and looked pissed off.

"Take this!" He roared.

"Battle Chip, Air Wheel!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

Several spheroids with a ring around them shot forward and "CF" Netto gasped: the spheroids hit "CF" Netto and his chest emblem cracked: that provoked a forced cancellation of the "Cross Fusion" and sent him flying across the air.

"Ua~h!"

"Ugo~h!"

The Air Wheel had landed beneath Cosmo Man and its tornado was damaging the "Darkloid": he was forced to run for his bucks.

_Phew. But…_

The PET III hit the ground, intact: it ejected the "Synchro Chip" but it was damaged and unable to be used: Netto gasped.

_No good! _"K. S." gasped.

08:43 AM (Moscow Time), Wednesday October the 28th…

_Huff! He's had to fly for about 11 hours to reach Sharo… It's 5 hours earlier here… _

Netto was sitting inside of a plane heading for Sharo.

"… Pick a chopper at Sharo Airport and head to the "Cross Fusion Lab". I'll arrange for the chopper." Laika told him over the PET.

"_Arigatou,_ Laika… At least niisan is okay, but… Both Papa and Meijin – san had to be gathered in Sharo at such a time …" Netto muttered as he eyed the broken "Synchro Chip" on his right hand.

"_San wa iranai!_ Otouto… Heh." Rock Man smiled.

"Niisan…"

"… E~h… Hikari Netto currently can't use "Cross Fusion", you mean to say? Heh, heh, heh… Interesting. We won't waste such a chance. Cosmo Man. Swallow Man. Cloud Man."

Umbra looked rather amused by the news his three lackeys had brought over: he called out for them.

"YES, SIR!" They all saluted.

"Give chase to Rock Man." He commanded.

They didn't need to be told twice: they immediately left.

_Che. But now isn't the moment either… Let's foil their plan and make them get nervous or doubtful first…_

The plane landed in Sharo without a hitch and Netto boarded a chopper: he eyed the usual Sharo landscape while dressed with a teal brown jacket to bear with the October weather.

_Let's hope that nothing shows up in-route…_

An open air mine was being excavated by a large packet wheel excavator close by: giant trucks carried out of the mine the drilled rocks but the suspending bridge they used showed symptoms of being weak.

_That bridge… A faulty design…?_

A cable snapped and a truck got trapped half-way: Netto saw this.

"Mayhem! Land the chopper!" He gasped.

Netto eyed the bridge: it was on the verge of collapse.

"Hell! If I could use "Cross Fusion"…" He muttered.

The bridge kept on being about to collapse and Netto gasped: a "Dimensional Area" was deployed all of a sudden.

"Netto – kun! A "Dimensional Area" has been formed…!" Rock Man announced.

"What did you say?" Netto sounded surprised.

"Step away, Netto!"

A figure which made a sound like the blades of a chopper passed near him, provoking a gust.

"That's…!" Netto gasped.

_Wow!_

The "figure" was "CF" Airstar.

Their design wasn't that much different from Gyro Man's usual one but looked fitter to his form: the protruding windshield was gone from this form (or more like redesigned to be built-in into the chest armor) although the helmet design remained largely unchanged: it included bluish shades over the eyes.

The shoulders remained in their "jar" form with Gyro Man's emblem set over the front of each one: the forearms remained more or less unchanged and didn't cover the hands: the rest of the arms only had black "skin" as covering.

Hus legs' design didn't seem to have been altered too much either: they had the initial yellow portion, the middle white portion, the same knee-guards, and the same soil design yet.

He also incorporated the mandatory chopper rotor attached to behind his body too.

_I knew it! My hunch was correct! _"K. S." grinned.

"CF" Airstar managed to lift the pilot of the truck as it fell into the bottom of the gorge and then landed in front of Netto.

"What's this…?" Netto wondered.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and Airstar reverted out of" Cross Fusion" form with a sigh of relief.

"Phew!"

"Charlie! Why can Charlie use "Cross Fusion"…?" Netto asked.

"The reason is… Why don't you ask Hikari – hakase?"

"Ask Papa…?"

"Yeah! The one who called me out was your father!" Airstar smiled at Netto.

Netto came out of the chopper which had touched down near the "Cross Fusion Laboratory" while still looking somewhat puzzled.

"Netto!" Dingo called out.

"EH? Dingo, Jasmine and even Nenji – san are here…?"

"That was nice, Charlie. You've quickly gotten the hang of "Cross Fusion", see." Meijin told him.

"Somewhat…" Charlie shrugged.

"Meijn – san… What exactly is this about?" Netto asked of him.

"_San wa iranai_, Netto – kun. Before I explain, I'll introduce you to the other guest!" Meijin replied with a smile.

Dr. Hikari was running some tests inside of the facility.

"Synchronism: 80%."

Netto and the others eyed a person wearing a strange _cyborg_ – like armor with many wires attached to it: they were a woman given the shape of the chest and the emblem over the armor was a give-away of their identity yet Netto didn't seem to spot that.

"95%. 96%. Synchronism: 97%. Excellent! O.K."

The experiment finished.

"Good work! The experiment is finished." He announced.

"Papa…" Netto called out.

"You came, Netto! Have a look: her "Synchronism" numbers are surprising!" Yuuichirou greeted with a smile.

"…"Her"…?" Netto frowned.

"It's me, Netto." A voice announced through some speakers.

The person removed the helmet: it was Pride.

"Pride!" Netto exclaimed.

"Heh, heh!"

The packet wheel excavator was still working when the controls suddenly frizzled, to the controller's surprise.

"Yikes! What the heck?" He wondered.

Another control cabin's systems frizzled and booted up: the machine started to move on its own.

"Wha!"

The pilot was kicked out of it and he fell into the snow: the three "Darkloids" were standing in front of a program shaped like a cutting wheel within the Cyber World.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"… The "Synchronism" of all "Duo's Crest" holders… We did discuss before that their "Synchronism" numbers were pointing out."

Yuuchirou and Netto were talking inside of a room.

"There's something behind Duo's "trial"… They haven't judged us yet. We must be prepared to battle Duo. And, again, we're confronting the "Darkloid" army led by Umbra. I requested you guys to do "Cross Fusion"..." He explained.

Rokushadama, Dingo, Jasmine, Airstar and Pride were sitting around the table.

"Hakase said that "you're free to refuse", but…" Jasmine quoted.

"It's somewhat interesting!" Dingo grinned.

"If ya say it's for the world's sake and for everyone's sake then this manly Rokushadama Nenji won't get cold feet!"

"Jasmine, Dingo, Nenji – san…" Netto muttered.

"But I never thought that I'd be next to the _charming_ princess - sama of Cream Land!" Airstar smiled.

"I, too, want to be able to fight for peace: along with Netto."

"_Arigatou_, Pride. Everyone!"

Netto's PET beeped, so he replied to the call.

"Laika!"

"Emergency situation, Netto!" Laika announced.

The packet wheel excavator was destroying everything on its path: it looked berserk.

"… It's a type of machine which is being used for mining: a packet wheel excavator! The cause is still unknown, but… It's suddenly gone out of control and become berserk!" Laika reported.

Everyone eyed the situation from the control center.

"What a ridiculously huge machine!" Rokushadama grumbled.

"A steel monster, even!" Dingo exclaimed.

"Papa. What about my "Synchro Chip"…?" Netto asked.

"Meijin is still repairing it." Yuuichirou announced.

"It's heading towards an inhabited zone. It'll be a great chaos if it intrudes the city!" Laika warned.

"Charlie! I'm counting you for the chopper!" Netto told him.

"Okay!"

"We'll meet at the scene, Laika!" Netto announced.

"Roger!"

The chopper followed the machine a few minutes later: Airstar was the pilot.

"That's it!" Netto exclaimed.

"Huh?" Airstar looked towards the back seat.

"Approach so that Rock Man can Plug-In!" Netto instructed.

"Roger!"

The chopper approached the control cabin.

"Come closer! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Trans…!"

He didn't finish because since Airstar had to dodge a hook from the crane which almost smashed the windshield: Netto was pushed backwards on his seat by the harnesses.

"The Plug - In was a failure!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"Netto! It's impossible to come any closer!"

A motorbike piloted by Laika was nearing the machine.

"Plug - In doesn't work? In that case…! Hikari – hakase! Please stop the excavator's movement with a "Dimensional Area"!" He requested via the radio.

"I understand! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

The "Dimensional Area" dome surrounded the machine and it came to a halt.

"It stopped!"

The chopper landed at the same time Laika stopped besides it. The three Darkloids materialized around the structure.

"The "Darkloids"!"

"Then… The excavator's rampage was your work!" Laika exclaimed.

"Heh, heh, heh." Cosmo Man began.

"Heh, heh." Cloud Man kept on.

"Hmpf." Swallow Man chuckled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh." Umbra giggled.

Laika removed his jacket.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Charlie got ready for action.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The two men performed "Cross Fusion" flawlessly and Airstar's smoked glasses remained under the shades.

"Heh, heh, heh." Cosmo Man began again.

"Heh, heh." Cloud Man kept on.

"Hmpf." Swallow Man chuckled.

"Heh, heh, heh," Umbra giggled.

Netto was standing behind "CF" Laika and "CF" Airstar and being ready to assist.

_So. 2 VS 1. But if we could disable the Cyber World program then this thing won't be able to get anywhere… Hmpf… And now my programs are strengthened by the climate… Eat Freeze Man's medicine! "Darkloids"!_


	21. Chapter 20: Below Duo's Comet

**Chapter 20: Below Duo's Comet**

11:48 AM (Moscow Time), Wednesday October the 28th…

"… Scope Gun!"

"Gyro Cutter!"

"Hmpf!"

"Heh."

The "Darkloids" put up smug smiles and dodged the incoming attacks from both "CF" Laika and "CF" Airstar.

"Cosmo Buster!"

"Swallow Cutter!"

The two "Net Saviors" dodged: "CF" Airstar chased Swallow Man while Netto was climbing a ladder to reach the control cabin.

_Otouto!_

_Gotta Plug-In into the excavator while I can!_

_I get your logic!_

"… Cross Spark!"

"Cosmo Gate!"

"Swallow Cutter!"

The two "Net Saviors" still held their ground.

"Charlie! Take care of the sky guy!" "CF" Laika instructed.

"_Okay!_"

"CF" Airstar flew towards Cloud Man.

"Target… Locked On! Gyro Shoot!"

Cloud Man moved out of the way as "CF" Airstar shot at him and dodged an incoming attack.

"Search Grenade!"

Dr. Hikari was running an analysis of the packet wheel excavator: Viruses filled the Cyber World of the excavator.

"What a huge amount of Virus signatures!" He looked nervous.

Netto reached the control cabin.

"Let's go, niisan! Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Trans…!"

A hole opened and a "Dimensional Converter" popped out in a 45º angle thus pushing him off the machine.

"Ua~h!"

_What! Somebody catch him! _Freeze Man gasped.

"CF" Laika spotted this and caught Netto in mid-air by the back of his vest's neck.

"Heh, heh… _Thank you_, Laika!"

Laika had a hostile glare to him as if he was going back to his attitude of reprimanding Netto.

"I'm not a cat! Make it easier!" Netto yelled to no one in particular as he waved his arms and legs around, enraged.

Several "Dimensional" Converters popped out of the excavator all of a sudden.

"…"Dimensional Converters"…!" Netto muttered.

"Heh, heh, heh."

Umbra leant both forearms on top of the desk while a hand pushed a red button which seemed to be part of some control console somewhere: it looked like a Navi's hand.

_Some trick which Cousin has come up with?_

The "Dimensional Converters" activated and a _second_ "Dimensional Area" smaller than the first one surrounded the excavator.

"A "Dimensional Area" has formed around the excavator's radius!" Pride gasped.

"What is gonna happen?"

The excavator started up again and it moved towards the limit of the first "Dimensional Area": the two "Dimensional Areas" collided and created an energy reaction.

"What?" Even Dr. Hikari was baffled.

The second "Dimensional Area" opened a hole on the first and the excavator moved on.

"It broke through the "Dimensional Area"!" Netto was astonished and so were his partners.

_The Devil! _Freeze Man inwardly cursed.

_Ah, the rascal! Cheat codes! _"K. S." cursed as well.

"By synching with the wavelength of our "Dimensional Area" they were able to puncture the "Dimensional Area"…!"

The "Darkloids" were still present, however, and they didn't waste their chance.

"Air Dive!" Swallow Man brought his face-mask and dived towards them.

"Cosmo Buster!"

The two "Cross Fusion" fighters shielded Netto but got kicked aside by the attacks: the three "Darkloids" moved in for the kill.

"NETTO!" The four companions shouted inside of the control center.

"Dimensional Area: Cancellation!"

The first "Dimensional Area" faded and the Darkloids were forced to leave: they all sighed on relief: Laika and Airstar broke out of "Cross Fusion" and groaned in pain.

"… Laika! Charlie!" He gasped.

_Otouto! The excavator…!_

The machine had reached another city and was wrecking everything on its path.

"The city…!" Netto gasped.

"The city's been wrecked!"

"STOP! STOP IT! Hell!" Netto yelled in anger.

Laika and Airstar had stood up as well as a helicopter flew over them and then began to land.

_Hell! What lowlifes! _Freeze Man cursed.

"One city has been wholly annihilated!" Jasmine gasped.

"If it keeps its direct course, next time it'll… intrude Sharo's capital city!"

"Hikari – hakase: let me fight as well! I just can't stand seeing this and not doing anything to help!" Rokushadama requested.

"I will fight, too! I'll plead to Totem – sama! I'm gonna beat those dudes to a pulp!"

"I will fight, too!" Jasmine declared.

Yuuichirou clenched his right fist and turned around.

"I understand! You guys will join the battle, too!" He told them.

"… You three should go to the medical room." The pilot of the chopper suggested.

"That will not be necessary." Laika replied.

Netto got out of the chopper while Laika and Airstar stayed.

"Oh boy… That flight was horrible: my helicopter was almost destroyed!"

Meijin was proceeding with the repairs of the micro-components of the "Synchro Chip" using special precision devices.

"Meijin – san!" Netto called out as he ran in and stopped next to him.

Meijin looked like he was totally absorbed in the task and didn't hear Netto: he inhaled.

"MEI - JIN – SA~N!" He yelled.

"A~H! Please don't yell, Netto – kun…" Meijin gasped.

"Meijin – san! How's my "Synchro Chip"?"

"S_an wa iranai_, Netto – kun… It took a brutal amount of damage. But I should be done in another hour."

"Another hour? Sharo's capital city will be in danger the next time if we don't hurry it up! Where's Papa?" Netto exclaimed before asking.

"He's making Dingo's group of four carry out their last-stage experiments to do "Cross Fusion" and…" Meijin replied.

Netto's PET beeped.

"Netto! The Sharo Army has been deployed!" Laika reported.

"The Sharo Army?"

Three fighter planes took off and chased the excavator, which was cutting through a forest.

"Objective: spotted. We are preparing to attack. Follow me."

Their cursors locked on the structure.

"Fire!"

They shot missiles but the "Dimensional Converters" popped out and the "Dimensional Area" acted as a shield.

"Hell! They actually used the "Dimensional Area" as a barrier!" Laika scoffed.

"It doesn't matter how much we attack because it'll be in vain like this!"

"The Army wasn't able to do it…" Charlie muttered.

Netto clenched a fist and made a grimace.

_Don't try to recklessly charge in, Hikari… _Freeze Man tried to keep his calm as he monitored them.

Someone appeared outside of the facility: Dark Miyabi.

"Hum."

The excavator moved forward and was reaching the capital city.

"Excavator: reported at five kilometers from the capital city!" Search Man reported.

"Five kilometers, you say?" Netto exclaimed.

"Has the citizens' sheltering been completed?" Laika questioned.

The citizens ran for it.

"They're still half-underway." Search Man replied.

"Curses!"

Laika started to walk out.

"Laika!"

"I know I said it was in vain! But every minute and second of time I can buy counts!" He exclaimed.

"Then… I will come, too!" Netto announced.

"You wait until the repairs of the "Synchro Chip" are finished." Laika told him.

The door opened: Dingo, Pride, Nenji and Jasmine walked in.

"Laika." Pride called out.

"Princess Pride!" Laika greeted back.

"Today we're going to fight." Pride announced.

"However… But if something were to happen to Princess while in the city then Cream Land would…!" Laika argued without losing his manners and with a hint of worry.

_Are those both personal and political fears, Mr. Laika?_

"I won't sit back and keep seeing how Sharo is in a crisis."

"The final tests have just finished. They'll be normal "Cross Fusion" members!" Dr. Hikari announced.

"Papa!"

"Netto! I'll fight to pay back your chagrin too!" Dingo declared.

Jasmine nodded while Pride clasped Laika's hands, making him blush: she also leant closer.

"Let us battle together, Laika." She rallied.

"Princess…"

Someone whistled and they both turned to see Airstar toying with the contact key for his chopper.

"I've set the chopper in standby."

Meijin kept on with the repairs but didn't see someone walking from behind: he took a break.

"Another little bit…" He muttered.

Miyabi suddenly moved beside him and pressed his left hand against the right side of his neck thus knocking him out cold while the six fighters (having coats on) left on the chopper.

"I'm counting on you, guys …" Netto muttered.

Alarms blared around the facility all of a sudden.

"The manipulator room…?" Yuuichirou wondered aloud.

"Meijin – san!"

Netto and Dr. Hikari ran out to find Meijin walking erratically and holding the side of his neck.

_Huh? What happened? _"K. S." wondered.

"Meijin – san!"

"What happened, Meijin?" Dr. Hikari asked.

"Dark Miyabi…!" He announced.

"Dark Miyabi, you say?" Netto was surprised.

_Shadow Man's new Operator? They're here? _"K. S." was visibly surprised at the news.

"He stole the "Synchro Chip"… Upstairs…" He reported.

"Papa! Please help Meijin – san!"

"Netto!"

Netto ran out towards the roof.

"The roof…!"

Three _kunai_ flied towards him: he dodged and the door closed behind him with the _kunai_ holding it locked.

"Dark Miyabi! Gimme my "Synchro Chip" back!" Netto demanded.

"Hikari Netto!"

"Miyabi!"

"Your "Synchro Chip" is here."

Netto spotted him standing on the support tower for a "Dimensional Generator" antenna.

"If you wish to have it back then you will battle me! Hikari Netto! Plug In! Shadow Man, Transmission!"

"Hell! Let's go, Rock Man!"

_Let's show this guy who the boss is, otouto!_

_OK!_

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Ha~h!"

Shadow Man appeared behind Rock Man and he barely dodged.

"Shadow Man!"

"As I thought: you and I keep on being enemies… Rock Man!"

"Battle Chip, Samurai Sword! Slot In!"

Rock Man clashed blades with him while Yuuichirou had tried ramming into the door but it didn't budge: he banged on it.

"Netto! Saito!"

"Hikari – hakase! I'll break the door!"

Meijin had brought an electric saw and two soldiers accompanied him.

"Please leave it to me! Hakase! Go and contact Laika – kun and the others!" He requested.

"I'm counting on you!" Yuuichirou told him.

"… Why, Miyabi? Why are you fighting me? You helped last time around!"

"Don't get the wrong idea. I am not either your ally or enemy. I'm a worker who'll only accept requests with a juicy prize."

"Requests…?" Netto asked.

"Indeed… Requests like deleting Rock Man, for example!" He announced.

"To delete _me, _did you say?" Rock Man questioned while struggling in the deadlock.

"That's exactly it!" Shadow Man replied.

Shadow Man attacked but Rock Man jumped out of the way.

"Just who issued such a request? The "Darkloids"?" Netto demanded.

_It could be. Cousin could want to play antiques._

"The "Darkloids"? Hmpf." Miyabi scoffed.

"I'm wrong, then?"

"The requester was the Tesla of the "Neo WWW"!" Miyabi let out.

"Did you say - Tesla? But…! The "Neo WWW"…!" Netto gasped.

"I took up this request before their annihilation. The requester has vanished but the payment has already been inserted into the bank. My style is to always accomplish all jobs I accept!" Miyabi announced.

_Che. Magnets Jr.! Messing up again!_

The electrical saw was cutting through the door while the excavator continued its mad rampage.

"The capital city is being leveled!"

Laika was eyeing the situation from the chopper.

"We can't let those guys get any closer to the core section!"

"Let's land!" Airstar exclaimed.

"Wait! The "Converters"…!" Pride warned.

The chopper had to ascend quickly to avoid colliding with the top of the "Dimensional Area" dome.

"Hakase!" Laika requested.

"Don't worry! Let's shot the enemy's trick black at them! Dimensional Area: Activate!"

The circuit in which Rock Man and Shadow Man were fighting glowed with blue light as it powered up.

"Huh?" Both wondered.

A "Dimensional Area" bubble surrounded the chopper which then made contact with the main "Dimensional Area": Yuuichirou increased the energy output and the chopper safely entered the excavator's "Dimensional Area" bubble.

"Success!"

The chopper landed: both Laika and Airstar came out.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"Hmpf. How stubborn…" Swallow Man muttered aloud.

"You've chosen to be defeated twice." Cosmo Man muttered.

"I wonder about that! Get ready for a fight, guys!" Nenji exclaimed.

"Okay!" Dingo confirmed.

"YEAH!" They all exclaimed.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Four persons yelled at the same time as they discarded their coats.

_Heh, heh, heh. Let's look on! First: Ms. Princess!_

"CF" Pride's design was a total remake of Knight Man's body because it became a vanilla – white armor with a skirt and an integrated helmet instead of something bulky and big.

To be more precise, the helmet had that grid-shaped protector over the eyes and nose plus a reddish crest spanning from the middle of the helmet to the back: its color was white and it left Pride's mouth and lower jaw exposed.

A simplistic piece of gray armor started at the shoulders and stopped around the center of the body: it had a triangular opening and Knight Man's emblem was inserted on the middle of it along with a patch of brighter purple armor.

The shoulders were simplistic and their shape was reminiscent of foot-balls with a purplish piece of armor spanning across their length: purplish "skin" formed over her arms: the left forearm was covered by a tulip-like shape colored white with a bluish edge while the right one ended as a metallic circle with dots on it and the characteristic wrecking ball installed there.

The upper suit ended with a slight bluish edge and then formed a cylindrical skirt which extended past her feet.

Her hair had been formed into a combination of two circles and a cone aiming downwards.

_Talk about original designing! Let's check Mr. Dingo next._

"CF" Dingo didn't break the pattern of Tomahawk Man's design: over 90% was just identical and the only esthetical changes were adding red coloring to the front and soils of the boots and some feathers spreading from the waist belt.

The hair decoration and the shape of the armor remained largely unchanged save that the shoulders now had a different design because the chest armor formed some odd edges: the wrist armor was brown but that was a minimal change too.

_No big surprise. Ms. Jasmine next. Let's see if they've redone their whole design or not._

"CF" Meddy's form retained the bodysuit design but it now included partial sleeves for the shoulders which ended before the elbows: the gloves' design was simplistic too with a half-sphere-shaped armor segment over the wrists having an outer red edge.

Her helmet's "antennae" now aimed upwards along the nurse cap and the shades were a transparent cyan shade.

The boots had changed slightly, too, and they gained bluish focalized soils: the stockings' upper edges were red too.

Her back gained an integrated backpack there to replace Meddy's usual medical case.

_Intriguing. Mr. Rokushadama's last. Ah! His design seems to have been remade to fit him too._

"CF" Rokushadama was another example of an interestingly redone design too.

To begin with the helmet had a round disk shape and was composed of main purple armor and a smaller orange disc atop it: green thick shades hid his eyes and a grayish circle surrounded the neck.

Purple armor with two curved pieces colored purple and orange had formed over his upper body: Napalm Man's typical guns were aiming upwards and rested atop the shoulders.

Thick purple armor covered the forearms (with a white circling band at their start) and some of it surrounded the shoulders along with a curved metallic band.

The rest of the body was unadorned save for two parallel orange/reddish stripes running down the length: metallic circlets were placed over his hips too.

The boots' form was enlarged and thickened but they remained identical to those of Napalm Man.

_Heh! Six VS Four. But we'll fight fair! _"K. S." smiled.

_Impressive! The number of "Cross Fusion" members is soaring! These six, Hikari, Ijuuin, Sakurai, Yuriko, Magnets… 11 of the known 12 "Crest" holders can use "Cross Fusion" by now! _Freeze Man smiled too.

"… I don't care how many of you there are! It's the same stuff!" Swallow Man yelled as they moved forward.

"Let's go! Scope Gun!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Fire Bomb!"

"Medi Capsule!"

Rock Man's and Shadow Man's duel kept on: explosions rang out and Shadow Man quickly dashed around Rock Man.

"Battle Chip, Vulcan! Slot In!"

Shadow Man easily dodged by jumping position in a very quick manner which made it hard to catch up.

"That's the real one!"

He aimed and hit Shadow Man: he seemed to be deleted by the attack while a blade suddenly emerged from the ground behind Rock Man.

"Here!"

The real Shadow Man jumped in for the kill.

"Saito – niisan!"

"We did it!" Miyabi exclaimed.

A needle shot out of nowhere and it intercepted the blade sp Shadow Man lost the window and had to land in the ground: he looked behind Rock Man.

"Who's that?" He questioned.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah, shah! Me!" Needle Man announced.

"Needle Man!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"You lowlife!" Miyabi hissed.

"Yuriko!" Netto gasped.

Yuriko was on the scene.

"Stop this meaningless battle! Dark Miyabi!" She commanded.

_Yuriko and Needle Man? What's going on?_ Saito wondered.

_Hum! Intriguing. _"K. S." grinned.

_Tell that dog a lesson or two._

"CF" Pride shot the Royal Wrecking Ball but Swallow Man dodged: Cosmo Man tried to punch "CF" Jasmine but failed.

"Vulcan Gun!"

"Tomahawk Air Raid!"

The attacks were not damaging the excavator at all.

_We need another strategy!_

Four of the "Cross Fusion" fighters faced forward: "CF" Laika was climbing up the ladder using his stealth camouflage ability: "CF" Airstar faced Swallow Man in an aerial battle again.

_Keep them distracted!_

"CF" Laika entered the control cabin and plugged Search Man inside the Cyber World: he was greeted by a horde of Water-type Viruses.

"Scope Gun!"

Three _kunai_ flew towards Yuriko: she dodged them and then stood up.

"Hear out what I have to say! If my hunch is correct then you too…!"

"Shut up!"

Miyabi jumped off the antenna and grabbed Yuriko from behind.

"Yuriko!" Netto exclaimed.

Some light burst out of Miyabi's right hand all of sudden: he let go due to the surprise and dropped the "Synchro Chip" in the process.

"W-what the…?" He hissed.

"…That's… "Duo's Crest"!" Netto exclaimed.

"As I thought: you're one of the persons who have accepted Duo's trial as well!" Yuriko exclaimed.

"Did you say "Duo"?" Miyabi looked baffled.

Meijin kicked the door out its frame and he entered the roof followed by three soldiers.

"Netto – kun!"

"Grah! Shadow Man!"

Miyabi retrieved his Navi and dropped a flash bomb to escape.

"He vanished…!" Netto exclaimed.

"Miyabi was… He was the 13th "Crest" owner, then!" Meijin grasped.

_You're kidding me. _Freeze Man looked taken aback.

_How ironic! _"K. S." grinned.

"Correct!"

Yuriko tossed Netto back his "Synchro Chip" and retrieved Needle Man next.

"That's why I've been tailing Miyabi. I'll chase him." She announced.

She easily jumped over the fence to everyone's surprise.

"Netto – kun! The city!" Rock Man warned.

"Niisan…!"

Netto looked up with a serious face: explosions kept on ringing out around the excavator.

_How is it?_

More explosions rang out inside of its Cyber World as Search Man finished the Viruses off.

"The dynamic core!" He reported.

"Destroy it! Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In!"

"Mugen Vulcan!"

The attack destroyed the program and the excavator came to a halt.

"What?" Cosmo Man was baffled.

They all gasped and stared at the immobile machine.

"Double Gyro Cutter!"

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

"Kingdom Crusher!"

"Napalm Bomb!"

"Medical Flash!"

The three "Darkloids" were forced to flee: the "Dimensional Converters" retreated and the "Dimensional Area" faded: everyone retrieved their PET IIIs next.

"We did it! We beat 'em!" Dingo yelled in victory.

"Our first victory!" Jasmine added.

"Princess! Are you alright?" Laika asked while walking over to her.

"I'm fine."

"… Human holders of my "Duo's Crest"!" A commanding voice boomed out of nowhere.

_Duo! Is that Duo? Where's he talking from? From the comet? _Freeze Man gasped.

_Duo! So that's their voice! _"K. S." gasped.

The "Crest" holders scattered all over the world paid attention (Meiru in Japan, Enzan in Ameroupe, Tesla from a room inside of the "Neo WWW" HQ), including Barrel: he was using the Time – Space distortion to get a hold of the events in his "future".

"When you humans' "Crests" become one… With that power… Will you humans be able to overcome my trial? Earthlings! The day of judgment is close by!" Duo announced.

"Duo…" Netto muttered.

Umbra was sitting on the table of "Neo WWW" HQ when a purple column of light appeared: he jumped off the table and stood firm as a familiar figure formed inside of it: the light vanished.

"Heh. We've gathered the 13 "Crest" holders. That Duo is slower than a turtle! Whatever… The next stage is beginning." A familiar rough, dry and cracked-like voice announced.

"Yes, sir." Umbra confirmed.

He was looking at the ground and his gaze was hidden by his helmet's shade.

"It's been interesting. But the time of harvest has come. You know what needs to be done, _Comrade_." The figure commanded.

"I understand… Twilight – sama."

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah…!"

He laughed like a madman and vanished as quickly as he'd showed up: Umbra sighed in relief.

"My. So Cousin showed his actual hide around and he didn't employ a hologram, eh?"

A holographic screen opened behind Umbra to display the face of "K. S." who had an amused look to him.

"W-who…?" He questioned.

"K. S." The man announced.

"K. S.?" He asked.

"Be careful, Umbra – kun… Cousin only created you to be a pawn in a chessboard: he is the player… The white player." "K. S." announced with a hint of amusement.

"A pawn… in a chessboard…" Umbra muttered.

"Are you really "evil" per se? Or are you just dancing to Cousin's flute? Think. Use your intelligence, Umbra – kun. I know you have hidden potential. Bring out your full power!" K. S. told him.

"… Am I really evil? Can I really decide things? Can I _think_?"

He sat down on the table while looking unsettled.

_It's true that I owe my life to him but… Could I still live without him? What could I do then…? I gotta think about this…!_


	22. Chapter 21: Worker Miyabi

**Chapter 21: Worker Miyabi**

19:47 PM (Japan Time), Thursday October the 29th…

_I did well on tracing this man… I want to make sure they don't attempt anything which I can't prevent._

"K. S." observed how Dark Miyabi was sitting cross legged under a waterfall and didn't have his tunic on: he seemed to be meditating and someone familiar walked towards him: Dr. Wily.

"I'm meditating. Get lost." He commanded without opening his eyes.

"Heh. Looks like trying to tackle Hikari Netto made you sweat a lot! Dark Miyabi. You're a pro worker who always will accomplish any paid job. However…" Wily trailed off.

"… _Here!"_

"_Saito – niisan!"_

"_We did it!"_

"_Who's that guy?"_

"_Shah, shah, shah, shah! Me!" _

"_Needle Man!" _

"Hum… You failed to dispose of Rock Man." Wily told him.

"It's useless to chit-chat. It's unrelated to me." He dressed back.

"A conflict between fellow companions… It'll bring no profits! Since both Netto and you lowlife are companions who own "Duo's Crest", ya know."

"I feel bad. I'm off!" He announced with annoyance.

He jumped into the air leaving only one or two leaves on his place.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh." He inwardly chuckled.

"Hikari Netto's companion… Ridiculous!" Miyabi muttered as he looked at the comet from atop a cliff.

20:14 PM (Japan Time)…

_Hum. Shuryou said it'd be good to have a look in this bank._

Freeze Man was inspecting a bank's Cyber World: "Asteroid" Sword Man suddenly showed up inside computer system thus surprising the security Navis.

"Ya~hoo~!" The blue head exclaimed as he made short work of them.

_Sword Man! Another "Asteroid"! I knew they'd be coming one of these days! _

He materialized in the real world in front of the vault's door.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh!"

He cut it in half thus revealing tons of bank notes stacked inside.

"There it is! There it is!"

_Heck. Let's chase them!_

Freeze Man chased them to a nearby bank: the Mega Net Bank.

"Piece of a cake! Bank-pillaging, I mean." The yellow head shrugged.

_Let devil bite me if the Giga Net Bank isn't next!_

The Giga Net Bank was also assaulted as well.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! I've obtained them! This is way easier than having to do a lotta job in exchange…!" The red head exclaimed.

He blasted a wall in the ground floor and escaped while carrying a bag with some bank notes.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" He laughed as he flew into the skies.

_Che. Bothersome meddling savages. Three banks in one night! We'd forgotten about the "Asteroids" given the events of yesterday. Let's dispose of them already! Heck!_

20:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… HUH? The culprit's an "Asteroid"?"

Netto was being told by Superintendent Manabe of the situation: she showed him a blurry photo of Sword Man.

"This is an image made by the bank's surveillance cameras." She announced.

"It's Sword Man! Ain't it!" Netto exclaimed.

"He intruded the bank's Cyber World by brute force and used it to break through the firewall before materializing to storm the safe."

"So… And after picking the money he breaks out by force too…"

"And they've done 3 in a row in one evening! They've gotta have the unbearable "I want money! I want money!" feeling…" Rock Man ventured.

"I wonder who his Operator could be..." Netto commented after returning the photo.

"We'll contact you if we find any leads."

"Okay! I understand. See you."

Dark Miyabi was standing atop a rooftop and he eyed Netto's PET: he drew a _kunai_.

_Oh crap! There they are! _"K. S." gasped.

"I'm gonna bury Rock Man along with the PET!" He exclaimed as he prepared to attack.

A gust suddenly blew across the street and a leaf got in the middle: Netto was no longer in the area when he looked again.

"Ah! Huh?"

He eyed someone in a balcony who was looking at the police cars.

That someone was a man with greenish hair who looked on his thirties or forties.

He was dressed with a white wool shirt over another green one below while his silk pants were colored green and black: he had purplish boots on too.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!" He was inwardly giggling.

"What are you doing? Deep Kabase?"

The man turned around and took out a _shuriken_ as Miyabi walked towards him from the obscurity.

"What the… If it isn't General Miyabi. I didn't imagine that I'd find a fellow mate here of all places!" He greeted with some amusement.

Miyabi grumbled under his breath.

"Bank – looting's enviable. You get a lot of bucks just by picking one of 'em. Well! As fellow workers both need to struggle to earn our pays, ya know. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!"

He put a hand over Miyabi's left shoulder and walked out: Miyabi grumbled under his breath.

"… I'm off!"

Netto ran out of home and met up with Meiru, Hikawa and Chisao the next morning: "K. S." followed them on his car.

_Last night was dangerous. What day is today, anyway? Ah! Friday October the 30__th__…_

"Oi! Good morning!" He greeted.

"Morning, Netto!" Meiru replied.

"Morning, chu!" Chisao greeted.

"Good morning, Netto – kun. You're early today." Hikawa greeted.

"I thought I'd rather surprise Mariko – sensei!"

"Since, you Netto, are the in-house late-comer…" Meiru reminded him.

"Okay! A race 'till the school!"

He suddenly ran off ahead of them.

"Ah! That's not fair!" Meiru complained.

"Wait, chu!"

"Netto – kun!"

"Go for it!"

Miyabi came out from behind a wool sheet which mimicked a building's façade and took out a _kunai_.

"Prepare…!" He exclaimed.

_Oh crap! _

A crow came out of nowhere, surprising him: he shoved it apart with the _kunai_ and eyed Netto and the others entering another alley: they obviously were out of his reach by now.

"I'll be the first one to get there!" Netto exclaimed in a jovial tone.

Miyabi just kept the same pose, baffled.

_Dumb luck or what?_

"… What should I do…? I forgot the homework!"

Netto grabbed both sides of his head in frustration and Meiru smiled: he then leant his head on the desk, frustrated.

"What a thing to happen!" He moaned.

The other students laughed.

_Otouto… You and your short memory… _Saito rolled his eyes.

_What a disgrace!_

Miyabi was hanging upside down from a tree branch and using the tips of his sandals to lean: he spread his arms, took out a pair of _kunai_, and aimed one towards the window.

_Not again. _"K. S." cursed as he looked on from outside the school.

A caterpillar descended and got in front of his nose: he moved some degrees to the right only to find that the window had been covered by the curtains.

"Grrr!" He grumbled aloud.

Netto and the others played soccer during break time: Chisao passed the ball to Netto.

"Netto!"

"I'm gonna pick it up! Take this! Heated-up Shoot!"

Netto tried to kick towards the goal post but the ball hit the post and it bounced off thus hitting him fully on the face.

_Ow. That's gotta hurt. _

The goalkeeper, however, got distracted: the ball slowly bounced into the goalpost.

_What odd luck! _"K. S." looked baffled.

Netto was face-up on the ground and trying to recover from the blow.

"Netto!"

Meiru and Chisao ran next to him.

"Nice goal!" She told him.

"Huh… eh… huh… heh, heh, heh…"

Miyabi was standing in the roof of an adjacent building.

"This time around…!" He muttered.

He prepared to launch but stopped.

"This is…!"

The other students had gathered around him and his sight was blocked: he couldn't see Netto anymore.

"Huh… eh… heh, heh, heh…"

"Are you okay? Netto?" Meiru asked.

"Something got in the way again…!" Miyabi muttered.

"Don't rush it, Miyabi. There'll always be several chances next time around." Shadow Man told him.

"Shadow Man. That's easy to say." Miyabi replied.

"You doubt that can defeat Hikari Netto?"

"No. But it won't do for me if all things in the world wish to protect Hikari Netto. Persons, animals… I'll flashily quit."

"That can't be. That guy just happens to be pretty lucky."

"Those who own a power capable of granting them strong luck… The secret documents of _ninja_ order that they are ones whose lives must be protected and they will defend the world... In short: a lord's vessel."

"Ridiculous! You can't possibly think that that bragger is the vessel of someone powerful who stands above the world!"

"I think the same but…"

A needle flew towards him and got stuck on the ground near him.

"Who's that?"

Yuriko was standing there.

"Yuriko." He muttered.

_I'm not sure what that earlier chat was about but at least Ms. Yuriko came to put a halt to them._

"You stubbornly keep on targeting Netto… But Netto isn't your battling opponent! He's a companion! A companion who must defeat Duo…"

"As always… You're babbling crappy stuff I don't need to understand." He fumed as he stored the PET.

"A day in which you'll understand will come. Until then… I won't let you harm Netto!" She announced.

She ran towards Miyabi and started to try to deliver kicks and punches which Miyabi blocked or dodged.

"Hmpf! I don't battle without money!" He exclaimed before used a smoke bomb to cover his escape.

He ran into another rooftop nearby and jumped across a street while Yuriko chased him from street level: she tried to throw him the needle but he deflected it with a _kunai_: it landed in front of Yuriko's feet and she stopped.

"What?" She gasped.

She eyed a kite: it had the "_nin"_ _Kanji_ drawn on it inside of a red circle.

"A kite, you're telling me!" She exclaimed.

"Surprised? I am a member of a _sengoku ninja_ clan! The descendant of the Miyabi Family…!" Miyabi announced,

"So what!"

She tossed the needle and it pierced the string of paper which kept the kite tied.

"What?"

The wind blew and Miyabi dropped a purse, a scroll and a _kunai_ as he vanished out of sight.

"Che." Yuriko scoffed.

_Well done, Oozono… Teach that dog to stay away from Hikari and Rock Man: I still can't believe they've been picked of all people. How are they going to make a man like them "join" their battle against Duo, anyway? Not to talk about Magnets or Barrel either… Barrel lives in the past and can't get here…_ Freeze Man smiled as he looked on.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah! What do we do, Yuriko?"

"Guess he'll give up. Let's go back."

"Shah, shah, shah, shah!"

16:58 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Welcome!" Dingo and Dekao greeted to a Maha Ichiban's customer.

"Uh. Please give me plenty of water." The customer announced while sitting down on one of the stools.

"Here you have. You look rather tired, customer - san." He commented.

The customer was Miyabi: he had some of his hairs disarrayed and looked exhausted.

"You can't image being blown up by someone in a foul mood. No. It's a rather dizzying experience."He drank the water.

Netto, who was enjoying Maha's curry, was sitting close by: Miyabi eyed him for a moment and extended his neck towards the right.

"Huh? Hmm?"

Netto and Chisao noticed him.

"Huh?"

They kept staring at each other for some seconds.

"Uo~h!" Dark Miyabi yelled while he recoiled.

"Dark Miyabi!" Netto exclaimed while having a spoon on his right hand.

"Hikari Netto! What are you doing here?" Miyabi demanded.

"I dunno why you ask! But I'm just eating curry! And why are you here, huh?" Netto shot back.

"The only thing I'll say is: I didn't come here to eat curry!"

"Eat some! We're a curry-shop!" Dekao told him.

Miyabi eyed the PET deposited in the counter at Netto's right.

"Rock Man! There won't be lucky chances here! Get ready!" He took out the _kunai _and stood up.

"Ah. If it's about Rock Man, he's at Higureya running errands, though."

"Huh!"

Miyabi was standing with his body half-leaning backwards.

"Ah! I see! You were offered money to beat Rock Man!"

"I can't beat the guy if he isn't there!" Miyabi sat back.

"Netto! Who's this mister? Chu?"

"A bad guy…?" Dingo asked.

"Hum… Hard to tell… I'd wish you were my companion rather than my foe, but…"

Miyabi was picking some kind of dry fruits with the two sticks and crunching them.

"I'm a devoted lone worker. I don't do anything if I don't get money."

"Stop babbling nonsense! Eat curry!" Dekao insisted.

"Hey, Miyabi… If you save up that vital money… Then what do you use it for?" Netto asked.

"Using it ain't my goal. Saving it up itself is my goal."

"…"Using it ain't my goal"…"

"Saving it up is your goal? What's that about?" Dingo asked.

"Never mind: not like you'd get it anyway."

"That's not it! Hmmm… In short: since I like eating curry, then I like the way Dekao makes it."

"I just like looking at Dekao's works." Dingo grinned.

"Same goes for ya, Dingo."

"That's the same thing, right?"

"Totally different…" Miyabi sighed and put on a tired face.

"That seems to be very difficult! Chu!"

"Hah, hah, hah… Guess so… I don't use it to save it up anyway… I thought he'd understand what a companion is about but…"

Miyabi looked taken slightly aback.

"But Miyabi is a "Crest" holder companion, anyway!"

"You…" Miyabi muttered.

Miyabi's stomach growled.

"O~h? My curry's turn has finally arrived! Eat away! You've gotta have money, right?" Dekao smiled.

"Huh? Eh…? No… That's…" He hesitantly replied.

He'd lost the purse when the kite had sent him flying.

"I'll invite you! Don't be concerned!" Netto told him as offered him a check.

Miyabi looked at him with a surprised face.

"In exchange… Please don't do jobs for the bad guys. Will you?" Netto smiled at him.

Miyabi suddenly stood up after looking at the counter.

"Huh? Hey! Miyabi!"

"What happened? Leaving in a hurry…" Dingo wondered.

"Maybe I annoyed him…"

"He surely was shy!"

"He called me a companion… He even offered me curry… Hikari Netto… A boy holding a powerful container…" He muttered.

"Miyabi. That's a misunderstanding. There's nothing outstanding."

"Understanding what a companion is, huh… Hmpf. One day I'd rather wish to have an out-standing container to offer to the Lord who'll employ me."

_Phew. It'd seem we saved the day somehow. _"K. S." sighed in relief.

18:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… I've found you at last."

Miyabi found his purse dropped in one street.

"Huh?"

He eyed Sword Man materializing close by.

"Great Sword!"

Sword Man cut in half an armored bank transport van: one of the halves skidded along the ground and Kabase stopped it with one foot.

"Well done, Sword Man. Money isn't something to be earned! It's there to be robbed! Thanks to these amounts of 'em I'll be able to kiss farewell to my boring worker life. Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Deep Kabase… So it was his handiwork… He's become a mere plebeian who picks off money…!" Miyabi grumbled from a nearby alley.

Netto skated towards the location of the attack and cut through Akihara Park to use a shortcut a while later.

_We need to hurry, otouto. Sword Man might be roaming in the Cyber World near the crime scene for all we know. _

_I get you, niisan! Jeez! He's so annoying, really!_

Miyabi was leaning his back against a tree and waited until Netto passed next to him: he was about to attack when he heard various cans falling to the ground.

"Oh. No good, no good... The empty cans I bothered to gather…"

Wily was there, apparently baffled over how his collection of cans had been scattered around the ground.

"It'd seem that Hikari Netto is important to both you and Yuriko. What's so special about Hikari Netto?" Miyabi questioned as he hid the _kunai_ behind him.

"The whereabouts of Tesla, the requester, are unknown. No – one's gonna rejoice even if you beat Rock Man by now." Wily told him.

"I'll definitely complete the request." Miyabi shot back before he turned around.

"Don't say nice stuff. If you're in such a need for money then I can give it to you." Wily suddenly announced.

"What?" Miyabi asked while tensing.

"Even by claiming to be worker, you're, after all, a money hunter. You'll be satisfied with being given some money!" Wily announced.

Dingo found an abandoned parking building and walked around its interior, not noticing an almost invisible string on the ground.

"Oh… Man… Where am I at? It'd be fine if I could make my way back to the store!" He muttered.

"Dingo! Are you sure that your disorientation hasn't gotten worse?"

"What?" Dingo smiled and tried to play the innocent.

"That ain't funny!" Tomahawk Man complained.

Dingo spotted stairs to an upper level.

"Let's have a look from the roof… I might see the store."

He was mildly surprised to see that the exit had been partly blocked with wood pieces: he then eyed Kabase standing next to a van speaking to someone.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Nice sight... Bank-looting is superb." He announced.

"It looks entertaining."

The other person was Slur: she was smiling.

"Yeah! Thanks to the Sword Man I got from ya…"

_Ah! I did well on checking on Mr. Dingo too… _

He eyed the pile of money on the van's cargo area and then picked a bundle of bank notes.

"Why did you… wish that much money?" Slur asked with a hint of intrigue.

"Ain't it obvious? To use it! I wanna enjoy the thrill of playing around with this."

"Hmpf." Slur smirked and looked amused with Kabase's reaction.

"Crap… I've gotten into a mess… This is a problem!" Dingo muttered.

He called Netto right away.

"What did you say? The culprit of the recent serial robberies…?" Netto asked.

"Yeah! He's here! In a ruined-looking building…!" Dingo reported.

"It must be the apartment building outside the city!"

"Otouto! I'll contact Manabe – san. Let's head to the abandoned apartment buildings!"

"Gotcha! I'm coming, Dingo!"

"… What's wrong? Come on. Accept it."

Wily offered Miyabi a bundle of bank notes.

"What a bothersome stubbornly greedy guy! Then, twice… No! Thrice!"

"Huh!"

Miyabi felt a shiver go down his spine and he took out a _kunai_.

"Don't underestimate me!" He roared.

He stabbed the bank notes into a tree's trunk and they burned to a crisp.

"Huh! What are you doing?" Wily asked.

"You don't know it! What does money mean for me! I am a _ninja_! I risk my life to serve the graceful Lord! But! In the current world… There are very few people who can be regarded as Lords."

_What's this about? What's your point?_ "K. S." wondered.

"That's why I've made a decision! That until I can happen to find a Lord… Money will be my Lord! And… When I meet the Lord… That money shall be used for that Lord's sake!" He announced as he pointed an accusing finger at Wily and then stood up.

"So the likes of you lowlife only live on obsessed with the digits, you mean to say." Wily was far from impressed.

Miyabi scoffed and started to walk away.

"Hey! Where are you going to?" Wily demanded.

"I'll defeat Rock Man. That's my resolve."

"Heh, heh. Oh boy…" Wily sounded amused.

"… Okay… Should we get going already? I don't have a reason to linger around with this amount of money…" Kabase muttered as he closed the van's trunk.

"I won't let you do so! You won't run away! Bank-looter!"

Netto and Dingo appeared on the roof.

"What the… Two brats? It'd seem you don't know that you shouldn't mess around: you won't get out alive… Dimensional Chip, Slot In!"

Sword Man materialized.

"Do it! Sword Man! Don't let them get out alive."

Both boys dodged the attack while Miyabi and Wily eyed from nearby.

"What the…! Hikari Netto and Kabase…!" Miyabi gasped.

"I'm surprised at the appearance of the "Asteroid"." Wily commented.

"Deploy the "Dimensional Area"!"

The "Dimensional Area" surrounded the area.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"W-what are these guys?" Kabase was baffled.

Sword Man eyed them but didn't move.

"Let's go, Sword Man! Battle Chip, Custom Sword!"

"CF" Netto jumped on top of Sword Man and hit the space between the blue head and the shoulder.

"Uack!"

"Tomahawk Air Raid!"

The spinning tomahawk hit Sword Man in the chest.

"Gra~h!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

Both attacks made him hit a wall with his back.

"Uwa~h! You're bothersome!"

He jumped skywards.

"Sword Press!"

He hit the ground with the tip of the sword he carried on his back. It provoked a shockwave which made the two "Cross Fusion" fighters fall into the lower level.

"I'll pulverize both of you!" Sword Man yelled from the roof.

"Just you try! Your power is nothing! We're way stronger!" "CF" Dingo exclaimed.

"Let's attack from both sides and settle it in one shot!"

They ran off on different directions but they tripped with some wires: explosions rang out close by and they quickly flipped back to standing position.

"What was that explosion?" "CF" Netto wondered aloud.

_I'm wondering that myself. Took a while to find a decent Network to get here… _Freeze Man looked on,

Kabase came in while driving his van.

"A _t__rap_, ya see! I set them around thinking this could happen!"

"What did you say?" "CF" Netto demanded.

"Truth is: I'm a former _ninja_. My specialty is explosive arts. In short: bombs, ya see."

"CF" Netto dodged a swing from Sword Man but landed on another wire: the Net Police cars stopped outside the "Dimensional Area" and Manabe was clearly surprised by the explosions.

_Ah! The dog! _Freeze Man cursed.

Miyabi eyed the holes in the roof and the smoke from the fires originating inside of the building.

"Bothersome Kabase…!" Miyabi cursed.

"I thought it'd be easy to tackle, but… They could end up risking their lives even. So? What are you going to do? Miyabi? You intend to assassinate Netto?"

"I'm a worker…! I don't fight a battle without reward…!" He muttered as he closed his right fist and his "Crest" glowed.

Another of those bombs exploded in the meanwhile.

"Ua~h!"

"CF" Netto hit the ground.

"Netto!" "CF" Dingo called out with concern.

"This is the final blow! Spiral Sword!"

The other two swords behind Sword Man detached and joined and started to spin like a circular saw.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"CF" Dingo blocked with the axe but the force was pushing him back towards another of the wires.

"Dingo!"

"I'll be your foe!" One of the swords announced.

"CF" Netto drew a Long Sword to block but he was also being pushed back as well.

_Oh crap!_

_Hang in there, otouto!_

Miyabi still doubted: Wily eyed him and rummaged inside his bag before he offered him something.

"The "Synchro Chip" I made." He announced.

"The "Synchro Chip"…?"

"No matter how much money you save up, the day in which you'll swear loyalty to your Lord… It won't come to be if the Earth happens to be destroyed, I guess."

"What do you mean? Dr. Wily?" Miyabi questioned.

"Oho… Before you change your mood… However…! If Netto dies then the Earth gets destroyed! Netto is an existence linked to the Earth's survival by now." Wily explained.

"What in…!" Miyabi looked surprised.

"If Earth is destroyed then you won't be rewarded with money! But it's okay nevertheless?" Wily summed it up.

"Ah!"

Miyabi yanked the "Synchro Chip" off Wily's right hand.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Rest in peace!" Sword Man's red head proclaimed.

Both "CF" users were still struggling.

"The one to die is you, you lowlife!"

"What?" Sword Man gasped.

Miyabi dived towards him.

"Dark Miyabi!" "CF" Netto yelled.

"Did you say Miyabi?" Kabase was surprised as he looked towards there.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

_YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME~! _Freeze Man was scandalized.

_Oho. Oho. This IS interesting. _"K. S." grinned.

The shape of "CF" Miyabi happened to be rather similar to that of Shadow Man himself with just a few edits.

His helmet, for example, gained two fang-shaped blood red drawings just beneath the eyes' lower edge and running across the mouth-guard: it had a rounder shape compared to Shadow Man's.

Partial white armor had been built over the torso and over the shoulders: the red "scarf" was still surrounding the neck: the two extensions below his back were on their place too.

The rest of the bodysuit had a more armor-like look compared to Shadow Man's mail shirt design: the outer edge facing backwards of each leg gained a black patch split by a white edge.

The arms' partial armor, the elbow's needle and such were unchanged as well.

The socks over the legs were there too but instead of sandals "CF" Miyabi used partial shoes covering the central part of his feet and forming armor protecting the heels and circling the ankles.

He now carried _two_ _katana_ sheaths instead of one aiming inwards each one attached to his back.

_W-whoa! Miyabi can do "Cross Fusion" too now! Then…! There's only Barrel – san and Colonel left…! _"CF" Netto gasped.

_Whoa! I'd never dreamt of it!_

"Shadow Clone!"

Two copies of "CF" Miyabi appeared and jumped away.

"Clone Strike!"

The two copies attacked the swords and sent them flying.

"Ua~h!"

"Are~!"

"O-oh! W-what's this…?" The read head uttered.

"CF" Miyabi appeared behind Sword Man.

"Dark Slash!"

He slashed the back of "Asteroid" thus pushing him forward: he then jumped in front of "CF" Netto and the copies merged back with his main body,

"Are you okay? Hikari Netto?"

"Miyabi… You…!" "CF" Netto muttered.

"Don't get in the way, Miyabi!"

Kabase threw him an explosive which hit him in the back.

"Miyabi! Battle Chip, Wind God Racket!"

The powerful wind stream hit Kabase: he was sent flying along with his van which ended up tossed sideways: Kabase lied on top of it and was absolutely dizzy as bank notes flew around him: he then lost consciousness.

"Why, you…! You accursed rotting _ninja_! Unforgivable!" Sword Man proclaimed.

He was still around and he'd recovered his other two swords.

"Great Sword!"

"CF" Miyabi recovered and pushed the other two to the ground: two sword slices flew past the boys: they hit "CF" Miyabi thus causing a tornado and making cuts on his body.

"Miyabi!"

The tornado ceased and "CF" Miyabi gasped.

"Miyabi!"

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! By acting as a shield… He no longer has the necessary strength to fight me!" Sword Man laughed.

"Hmpf. That was my goal. The damage my body suffered can be changed into attacking power! It's the ultimate sure-kill art!" "CF" Miyabi shot back as he drew a blade which shone with a purple aura.

"Oh! Don't tell me that that sword is…!" Sword Man gasped.

"Muramasa Blade~!" "CF" Miyabi yelled as he shot a powerful energy slice across the air.

"UWA~H! GA~H!" Sword Man was sliced in half and exploded.

"Cut off the lightning and stand up to the flames!"

"Incredible…" "CF" Dingo muttered.

"Miyabi…" "CF" Netto muttered.

The "Dimensional Area" faded and Kabase was taken away.

"_Arigatou, _Miyabi. You've saved us."

"There's no need for thanks. I'll pick my deserved prize."

He walked over to Netto and took out the discount ticket from his vest.

"That's the curry-treat check...?" Dingo wondered.

"I'll take Rock Man's life one day. We'll meet again." He announced.

"Miyabi…. Don't forget it, Miyabi! We're companions!" Netto called out.

_I'm not a companion. But maybe you're my…_

09:58 AM (Japan Time), Saturday October the 31st…

"… Oh! Chisao! Lemme have that last snack! Come on! Give it to me!"

"I won't! Chu! You've gotta earn it! Chu!

Netto was trying to pick one of those dry fruits Chisao was about to eat at Maha Ichiban's.

"Come on: lemme have a bite!"

"No way!" Chisao looked away.

"In that case… I'll use my strength!"

Netto picked it with his teeth and ate it.

"Ah! Horrible! Chu! Thief! Chu!" Chisao cursed.

"You were way too late! Oh! The fate! The cruel fate!"

"Netto's an idiot!" Chisao yelled.

Miyabi was sitting on a table and eating curry while trying to ignore their quarrels: he grumbled under his breath.

"Those irritating brawls…! Unbearable! Too unbearable for anyone! I'm a fool for having thought that that guy could be my lord!"

He began to devour the curry at a mad speed.

_Just you wait, Hikari Netto! I'll definitely beat you and Rock Man one of these days!_

"… Shuryou. I still can't believe that…" Freeze Man discussed with Gospel.

"Can't be helped, Freeze Man. We don't settle that."

"… Roger, sir…"

"Take a break. There's still a long way to go!"

_Let devil bite me, Forte if… Umbra isn't going to act again soon! But we'll strike back… And unveil the true criminal! Get ready, you villains! I, Forte, are gonna beat ya to pulp and leave no stone standing!_


	23. Chapter 22: Stellar memory

**Chapter 22: Stellar memory**

09:16 AM (Brazil Time), Tuesday November the 3rd…

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Let's replay the footage I recorded of a phenomenon I witnessed days ago… _

The "Schemer" booted up a PC in an apartment somewhere and brought up some footage made by a flying camera displaying several monkeys were moving around the trees peacefully in one South Ameroupe jungle: they suddenly looked nervous and various birds started to fly out all of a sudden.

_No wonder. _

The ground shook and a crevice shinning with a pink light opened and a beam of the same color shot skywards and an object crashed down: it was some kind of metal container marked with "Duo's Crest" on its front.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… And let's switch to the present._

Another camera showed up how camp had been set up on a jungle clearing where the thing had landed and adjacent to some Aztec-like pyramids: Enzan traveled to the scene in order to look into the matter in one of IPC's choppers and he dropped down once it'd landed.

"We have been waiting for you. Ah! Where's Hikari – hakase?" The lead man asked.

"I am sorry, Dr. Makita. He's busy investing why the "Past Tunnel" has become unstable…"

"Is that so…?" He looked disappointed.

"The object you spoke about…?" Enzan asked.

"I'll guide. We can't establish its age but we think that it's probably the best of the objects we've found insofar within these ruins."

"This is… "Duo's Crest"!" Enzan uttered.

"The hole-room into which it was sealed up is up ahead."

They walked towards a pit following some rail tracks where a wood structure had been set up on top of the pit's opening: a wooden ladder was attached to one of the walls of the pit the end of which was many meters below the end of the ladder and covered in obscurity.

"The researchers have not gotten inside yet?" Enzan asked.

"Please have a look at this." Dr. Makita requested.

The man crouched down and picked a stone which he threw inside of the pit and it hit a kind of barrier mid-way down the pit: it made a strange ripple of lights.

"A "Dimensional Area"…!" Enzan realized.

_And now you'll call Hikari. Let's check on the chap. I'll prove that I'm not the only one who can see what the chap does… Too bad it takes about 23 hours plus another extra hour to get there even in your IPC plane…_

Netto was on his home along with Meiru and Jasmine: he looked nervous and Meiru was discussing with him.

"Just tell me what you don't get from this Math lesson! JEEZ! So! Why are you here too?"

This question was addressed to Jasmine.

"Netto's mother told me "I've cooked a cake so come have some"…!"

"But even so I still don't really get the answer…" Netto was muttering at the same time.

Meiru was getting angry and Netto's PET beeped.

"Otouto! From Enzan." Saito reported.

"Hikari – hakase asked of me: so come over here ASAP." Enzan announced as he popped out in the screen.

"…"Over here"…?" Netto wondered.

The door opened: the two Net Police agents came in and dragged Netto out.

"HUH?"

"Netto!" Meiru gasped.

"HUH? AH!" Netto gasped in fear.

"What's wrong, Netto?" Haruka turned to see.

"Papa needs me to do something!" Netto replied.

"Ma'am. By the official request of your husband, we are gathering up the "Cross Fusion" members. We shall be guiding your son to the Pasconoma ruins." One agent politely announced.

"Ah? Is that so? Please go ahead."

The men and Netto had walked out of the house.

"Ah! True, true! Netto! Try to be back before dinner!"

"It's useless!" Netto yelled.

Meiru and Jasmine followed them out.

"Netto!"

"Jasmine – san, I assume?" One of the men asked.

"That's right." She confirmed.

"Please accompany us as well. It is a request from Hikari – hakase."

"That's fine!" She replied.

"Eh? Jasmine too…? If it's about the "Cross Fusion" members then I too…!"

The car sped away while leaving Meiru behind.

"Wait, wait! Why did you two have to pick Jasmine?" She asked to the car.

"Where are they going to?"

Meiru turned to see Dingo there: decided, she grabbed his hand.

"Please accompany me!" She told him.

"EH? What are you doing?" Dingo looked taken aback.

"Taxi!"

The car got into IPC's cargo plane's bay and stopped there so both climbed down.

"I'm gonna ride in this thing again?" Netto wondered.

_Yeah. And this time it's a 23-hour ride! Oho. The foolish diamond has followed you guys too… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… And that means that the dog isn't far… There… I can see their proxies… You pick dragonflies I pick miniature UFOs with camouflage capabilities… _

"Wow! So cool! This "Enzan" guy is a really rich guy, right?"

"Yeah…"

"You're late! Runt!"

Airstar and Rokushadama were standing in the upper level.

"Nenji – san! Charlie!"

The plane took off while they chatted.

"We got a call from your father." Airstar cleared up.

"From Papa…?"

A monitor lit up and Dr. Hikari appeared on it.

"Everyone: I'm sorry to call you up all of a sudden. Truth is… A stone tablet has been found in the Pascoma ruins set."

"A stone tablet…?" Netto wondered.

"That tablet has "Duo's Crest" engraved on it."

"… "Duo's Crest"…?" Netto asked.

"Given how the "Past Tunnel" is unstable I can't get away from here. I'm picked about what that "Crest" identical to Duo's means. Cooperate with Enzan – kun, who's gone on ahead."

_Like the excellent hound the guys is… Heh, heh, heh…_

"Everyone: once you reach the Pascoma region ruins I'd like of you to research the area. Inside of the discovered ruins…!"

The transmission flickered and was suddenly interrupted.

"Ah! Papa!"

"It's becoming hard to contact them because of the "Past Tunnel"…!"

"Let's have look and we'll catch it up." Airstar simply crossed his arms.

"Hum… Since I've come this far then there's no helping it… Okay! Let's show 'em the outcome of the camp trip!"

_Yes… That 3-day camp trip to the Southern Hemisphere to have a party and games so as to shake off tension… _

"HOORAY!" They all raised a fist.

The plane flew over the jungle and descended until it almost hit the stream of a river: the cargo ramp opened and a hovercraft vehicle came out: Meiru and Dingo _fell_ from the sky and into the river somehow.

_Huh? They somehow snuck onboard? Hah! How amusing._

The hovercraft kept going downstream and it opened a side hatch: Netto and Jasmine stared at the variety of animals.

"Wow!" Jasmine exclaimed, awed.

Dingo, Meiru and Rush were sailing downstream with a canoe: Dingo was oaring.

_You made that canoe on the spot? Amusing too, brats!_

"Rush! You're sure that this is the way, right?"

"Aup! Aup!"

"Believe in my wild face!" Dingo told her.

"Stop boasting: shut up and oar!" Meiru commanded.

"… This is the stone tablet we spoke of."

Dr. Makita showed the group the stone tablet.

"…"Duo's Crest"… Huh? Where's Enzan?" Netto asked.

"He's entered the ruins ahead of us."

_Well. You've had a nice safe trip and it's already Wednesday November the 4__th__… 7 hours less than in Japan…_

They walked over there and spotted that Enzan had reached the bottom of the hole: there was a tunnel's entrance built in there and Enzan was currently examining the ground.

_So you found out how to enter, slept with the team, and now have resumed the research? _

"Enzan!"

"That was fast, Netto!"

"So? Do we get inside and check it out?" Airstar asked.

"What the heck? We'll be fine? I don't get anything…" Nenji muttered.

"For the thick-filled brains of yours then it's impossible!" Napalm Man taunted.

"What was that about, Nenjiro?" Nenji asked.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

Jasmine started to descend the ladder.

"Ah! Jasmine!" Netto warned.

"Go!"

She let go but landed into a kind of invisible "Dimensional Area" floating in the air.

"Eh? Huh?" She wondered.

"What's this?" Airstar wondered.

"What the heck?" Nenji looked on.

"A "Dimensional Area"…!" Netto exclaimed.

"That's why Hikari – hakase asked for us to come here." Enzan announced from the bottom.

"Hum."

Jasmine was standing in the middle of the hole: there was a ripple every time she pressed the "ground" and she looked intrigued.

"Oe, oe! And how did that guy get inside of that?" Rokushadama asked.

"Don't think! If ya try your brain goes up in smoke!"

"Wha~t?"

"We surely can get in with "Cross Fusion"…" Netto realized.

"What did you say? It's not like we can do that here of all places!"

"Jasmine! Please step away a bit!"

Jasmine recoiled.

"I wonder if jumping from here will give me enough speed…"

"There's no need for speed. I know its composition looks like the "Dimensional Areas" we're used to but it's a bit unstable! Come in normally!"

"Alright! Like this! Synchro Chip, Slot in! CROSS FUSION!"

"CF" Netto, surrounded by a blue bubble, effortlessly dived through the "Dimensional Area" and landed in front of Enzan.

"I see!" Airstar whistled.

"Huh? He got inside?"

Netto cancelled the "Cross Fusion" and looked up to the others above them.

"Guys! You too!"

"Well then." Jasmine shrugged.

"Let's go too!" Airstar took out his PET.

"Oe, oe! Wait for me!"

"It's really identical to the "Dimensional Area"..."

"If that mysterious explosion hadn't happened then I guess we couldn't have discovered this new entrance. However! The other unearthed spots didn't have any systems to prevent intruders."

"What's ahead of this?"

Airstar was looking at the tunnel's entrance.

"We can't go there yet. We have to wait for everyone to come by Hikari – hakase's orders."

"I'd rather wrap this up quickly! I've got six dates next weekend."

"Six… You mean one per day!"

"Nope! In one day!"

"Huh…"

Netto put on a skeptical face and a sweat drop appeared on the side of his head.

"But… How could an ancient civilization be able to have this "Dimensional Area" system?" Airstar wondered.

"Anyway… If we go inside we might find something out. Today's mission is to check that out."

The group walked inside the tunnel: it was not obscure since there was some kind of fluorescent painting on the walls: they walked past structures carved into the rock which seemed to have been some kind of habitats.

_Heh, heh heh… Interesting. Ah! There's it: the teaser. Can you get past it and see what's beyond, you guys? Heh, heh, heh._

They stopped in front of a big door carved in stone and marked with the ever-so-familiar symbol.

"A door…"

Enzan tried to press against it but it didn't budge.

"Can it be opened?" Charlie asked.

"It's got quite some weight! A person's strength won't do!" Enzan guessed.

Rokusahadama tried to use his strength.

"Hum! Ga~h! GA~H! Uh…"

He didn't fare better given how he got a zombie-like face when he got exhausted from the effort and fell backwards.

"Are you okay? Nenji – san?"

"Huh! How troublesome! Let's tackle it and make it go _KABOOM_!" He took out two bombs.

"Wait, wait, Nenji – san! If you do such a thing then these important ruins will be damaged!" Netto exclaimed.

"What… A small one wouldn't do fine?" He asked next with some disappointment.

"Useless, useless…" Netto got another sweat drop.

Enzan looked around and spotted two metal cylinders marked with the symbol: he put the palm of his right hand in front of one of them and they descended while the door opened.

"It opened…" Rokusahadama muttered.

"What did you do, Enzan?" Netto asked.

Enzan looked at his right palm with a surprised look.

"These ruins are calling for us "Duo's Crest" owners. Let's get moving. Duo – sama tells us to go in, anyway!" Airstar rallied with a smile.

They walked inside and found themselves at the top of a set of descending stone stairs overseeing a "city" which occupied the whole of the cavern: there was a tree set in the middle of it and various markings drawn on the ground.

"What an incredible place…" Jasmine muttered.

They all stopped in the stairs about half-way down.

"Netto~!"

Netto turned and was baffled as Meiru came running down the stairs towards them.

"Me - Meiru – chan! What are you doing here?"

_Good question, Hikari Netto._

"See, see! Netto used "Cross Fusion" to get inside of a "Dimensional Area" time ago! Didn't he?" She replied.

"I wasn't asking about that!"

Dingo walked in while looking exhausted: he sat on a steel cube and it descended while the door closed.

"Wa~h!" Netto yelled in panic.

Netto ran towards the door and punched it while yelling: Enzan examined the block.

"We'll need to know more about these ruins to open this."

"What a thing…!" Netto was scared.

"What a thing you did…!"

Rokushadama had now white eyes as he grabbed Dingo by the neck.

"W-what have I done?"

"Don't come with the "what I've done" thing!"

Meiru had reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Cool! This is quite beautiful!"

"Gra~h!" Netto yelled.

He immediately rushed downstairs and confronted Meiru.

"I asked before! Meiru – chan! Why are you here?"

"Uh… B-but… I can do "Cross Fusion" as well…" She muttered in a low tone.

"HUh? What? I can't hear ya well enough!" Netto protested.

"Uh… Netto's a _baka_…" Meiru blushed.

"What did you say?" Netto was about to explode.

"What'd you ask if you were in such a position?" Meiru waved her arms and looked angry as well.

They stopped upon hearing a sound which was echoing: the other members had also reached the bottom of the stairs.

"What? Is anyone shooting out fireworks?" Dingo asked.

"Do you think there are fireworks here even?" Rokushadama countered.

"A~H!" Jasmine yelled.

They all stared at a _monster_: it was tall, dressed in some kind of purple tunic, and had a mask for a face: its square eyes were devoid of life and it had "Duo's Crest" set on the forehead.

_Heh. Rather generic. _The "Schemer" grinned.

More of them walked out of the city and towards them.

"What are these things?" Airstar wondered.

"Everyone! Run for it!" Enzan rallied.

"Ye come as well!" Rokushadama yelled as he yanked Dingo and dragged him along.

"Meiru – chan! Let's go this way!"

They split into two groups heading towards on opposite directions: they both entered buildings and because the entrance was small and narrow not even the monsters' hands could reach totally inside.

"Everyone! Back up!"

Enzan and the other four recoiled.

"Meiru – chan! Let's hurry!" Netto rallied.

Meiru closed her eyes and tried to shield herself with one arm: her "Crest" shone and the one in the monster's forehead also shone so Meiru tried to put the palm facing the thing: it and another one recoiled and left.

"What was that…?" Nett wondered.

"They suddenly changed their attitude when they saw this "Crest"…"

"… How is it, Blues? Have you been able to contact Netto?" Enzan asked.

"No use, Enzan – sama. The inside of these ruins is seemingly filled with spread EM waves: I can't communicate." Blues reported.

"… How is it, Saito – niisan? Can you get through to Enzan?" Netto asked.

"No dice, otouto. The inside of these ruins is filled with spread EM waves: looks like I can't communicate." Saito reported.

"That's bad luck…"

Netto noticed that Meiru was not at his side.

"HUH? Meiru – chan! Meiru – chan!" He called out.

"What's up, Netto?"

She had walked to end of the corridor and turned to enter a room deeper inside.

"Don't go deeper in alone!"

The next room was of a square shape and the colors were black and white which resembled a chess field given its square tiles: a cylinder with "Duo's Crest" engraved on it was set on the middle of the room.

"I wonder what this is…?"

Netto lifted his right hand to touch it but his "Crest" reacted.

"… Believe, believe… Where's the exit? Hah!"

Dingo threw his tomahawk and landed in front of him.

"Are you sure this thing is okay?" Nenji asked.

"Believe in my wild face! It's over here!" He insisted.

"Well then… Let's go this way." Nenji shrugged.

"Yeah!"

"Ah! You two! Wait! We don't know what could be set inside of these ruins!" Enzan called out as he ran after them.

Airstar and Jasmine heard the two yells followed by a tremor: the room in which they were was rather obscured and the floor was made of stone cubes which were descending.

"Dingo!"

The cubes stopped and both sighed in relief.

"Saved…"

"It stopped…"

Airstar and Jasmine ran into the threshold and gasped.

"This is…!" Airstar uttered.

The floor was shaped like "Duo's Crest" too.

"…"Duo's Crest"…!"

A holographic multi-colored globe emerged from the column and a pallid white and blue ring came out of it too.

"W-what?" Meiru was surprised.

_Let's hope you don't end up roasted to a crisp. Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!_

The ring descended until the ground and vanished: a red ring appeared on the ground next: it had eight circles with "Duo's Crest" set on them: the circles were interconnected by lines drawn on the ground thus drawing two shapes in the ground.

_Amusing display. Is that all, though?_

The others members were scaling down the blocks in the other room when it became bright and a white light engulfed its volume.

"What the heck?" Airstar was puzzled.

They were suddenly _teleported_ out of the room.

_Yo and behold._

A giant stream of energy shot out from the mountain on the surface, surprising the scientists.

_Huh? What are these readings on the "Past Tunnel" site?_

The "Past Tunnel" device was acting strange: a kind of blue energy barrier blocked access to the shaft coming from inside of it and the tip of the activation device sparkled with pink energy.

"Pulses of "Duo's Comet" are being emitted from the "Past Tunnel"!" A technician reported.

"Something deep in the "Past Tunnel" is resonating!" Hikari – hakase gasped.

Both Slur and Duo noticed something out of place inside of their comet: Slur suddenly looked like she'd felt something.

"Ah!" Slur seemed surprised.

Duo "stood up" and had formed some gigantic legs the ends of which weren't visible.

"…Creator…" He announced in an ominous tone of voice.

The other members appeared on the room Netto and Meiru were in one after the other.

"Nenji- san! Dingo! Charlie! Enzan! Jasmine! Everyone!"

"Netto!"

The column descended into the ground and the globe expanded thus engulfing them: they found themselves in _space_.

"What's this?"

An image appeared in front of them: it looked like a man dressed with a strange tunic covering the whole of the body and head which had a "arcane" or "alien" look to it: the man could be past his 50s even, and he was surrounded by data: the image flickered.

"Slur!" Netto yelled.

"No! Wrong!" Enzan quickly noticed.

The image flickered between a man and a Navi resembling Slur: the image was transparent and of a blue color.

"Net Navis and humans… We can merge those existences…"

The image was replaced by another man, younger than the first.

"What this world needs is an existence capable of controlling its chaotic Network." He announced.

"A "Past Vision"…" Enzan realized.

Another man appeared behind them: he looked a bit older.

"Duo shall administer this world's network from outer space." He announced.

"What are they saying?" Airstar wondered.

"They created Duo." Enzan guessed.

Another image appeared displaying what looked like a rocket: its design was both alien and futuristic.

Some spires retreated around the main body which was cylindrical and it had six small rockets attached on each side.

The other top half looked like a sphere or globe protected by a trapeze-like covering, leaving an opening on the top were a half-cone shape could be seen.

The spacecraft lifted off and its six rockets detached after a while: the main rocket detached once the craft had exited the atmosphere.

_They obviously thought of the "stage" concept too._

The trapeze-like covering split in six pieces and also detached thus revealing the next shape: it resembled a sarcophagus.

_Your doom sleeps there? Heh, heh, heh, heh._

It divided in three pieces and the last component was revealed.

_Surprise, surprise. Didn't we see it coming, anyway?_

The last component had two shapes: three quarters of it had a stalactite form while the other quarter was a pyramid made of various circles piled each on top of the other which turned smaller in size as they reached the top: the first part had a bluish color while the other had a rather gray metallic color.

_Looks small like this but close up must be huge. Hundreds of meter large, I guess. _

The object shone and a stream of blue light surrounded it until it assumed the shape of a comet.

"This is… Duo's…!" Netto exclaimed.

"This planet's network has achieved a faulty evolution: a civilization which does not have a reason to exist. I shall remove any Network civilization which is threat to the Universe." Duo's ominous voice announced.

Some rings of energy appeared and focused on the tip of the comet and a small sphere of energy formed: a beam shot forward while leaving some rings along the way: it hit the side of the planet and a reddish mass engulfed it.

"This is… What we saw back then…" Netto muttered.

There was an explosion sound, and, although they were surrounded by static, they shielded their eyes.

_And thus they began by deleting their home-world, like they said when they reached our world._

The image cleared and they saw a kind of flying city in the shape of a dome.

"The being which we created has… become uncontrollable…! A God…! It has become a Cybernetic God…!" A voice announced.

They eyed the city landing within a mountain range in another planet: a dinosaur was standing close by.

"Net Navis and humans…! Could we improve those existences…? Are we really a faulty-evolution existence…?" The first man wondered.

"That planet…" Airstar muttered.

"It probably was the ancient Earth…" Enzan realized.

_Whoa… Duo betrayed his creators, then_! Saito grasped.

_He said it! He'd deleted his planet!_

The image flickered until it resumed to the one showing one of those men and a Net Navi which were overlapping each other: the Navi vanished and the man fell into his fours while panting heavily.

_A failure, then. _

The Navi appeared in front of the man surrounded by a green column of light: it resembled Slur but the main difference was that it had a mask and yellow eyes and its body design was slightly different as well since it seemed to be of a male design instead yet it was androgynous.

"… Master. It is impossible to push that body further up." The Navi announced.

"I shall not abandon…! The future we all can envision…! It'll definitely come to happen!"

"A fusion… Is it something like "Cross Fusion"?" Netto wondered.

_Sure looked like it._

"Do not throw hope away! Within the future…! Within this world…! Within our own forthcoming fate… We shall engrave our will…!"

The man had tried to stand up only to fall face-down into the ground.

"Master!"

The image was interrupted again thus drawing gasps from everyone: it resumed and it showed a close-up of the Navi.

"Master… I am… Navis who have lost their masters… Cannot exist."

The Navi was deleted right in front of their eyes.

"That was…" Netto wondered.

"These ruins' memories…" Enzan muttered.

The image flickered again only to show a clearly _pissed off_ Slur.

"Slur!"

"There is no need for you to see anymore of what is here. You shall vanish along with those foolish existences which pose a threat to the Universe."

"What?"

Slur waved an arm and "fire" surrounded her: the "fire" appeared outside of the mountain and it formed into a human-like face which had white eyes and an evil grin: the scientists were stunned.

"This is…!"

The face roared and reduced its size into a small sphere: it exploded thus scattering rests of energy in all directions.

_Hmpf. That's quite a show you've put up, woman._

The ruins shook and looked like they were going to collapse.

"This is bad! Everyone! Let's come out!" Enzan yelled.

They ran out only to find the monsters from before waiting on the outside of the buildings.

"We'd forgotten about these ones!" Dingo cursed.

"What do we do?" Nenji asked.

"Let's force a break through!" Enzan rallied.

"Wait!"

Meiru walked forward and moved her palm forward.

"What is she going to do?" Dingo wondered.

The "Crest" shone on her hand's palm.

"Please… Step aside from here…" She muttered.

The "Crests" on the monsters' foreheads shone and they walked away.

"Everyone! Let's hurry!"

_Arigatou…_ Meiru thought as the monsters were deleted.

"They're breaking up!" Jasmine eyed.

"Don't mind it!" Airstar yelled.

The only remaining problem was how to deal with the stone door.

"Everyone! "Cross Fusion"! Let's destroy this door!" Enzan instructed.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

They all performed "Cross Fusion" as the ceiling began to collapse.

"Neo Variable Sword!"

"Double Gyro Cutter!"

"Vulcan Arm!"

The three attacks left a nice hole on the door.

"Hurry up!" "CF" Blues commanded.

They ran out as the buildings began to collapse: the other cavern was also collapsing and parts of the walls were breaking.

"Battle Chip, Salamander!" "CF" Blues and "CF" Netto yelled.

"Battle Chip, Barrier!" "CF" Meiru and "CF" Jasmine announced.

"CF" Rokushadama and "CF" Airstar carried the girls and were protected by the barriers.

"Tomahawk Rolling!"

The mountain was erased and revealed a "Dimensional Area" dome which had apparently been protecting the ruins.

"That's…!" Dr. Makita exclaimed.

It faded and the "Cross Fusion" members stared at the hole: Dr. Makita sighed in relief.

"Saved…" Dingo muttered.

The area shone with a bright light and left a crater with a strange shape which was the lowered half of a dome and had a round shape: a gigantic scale "Crest" shone on the middle of it before dimming.

"… I see… Duo's planet's memories, huh…"

"I deeply apologize."

Yuuichirou and Enzan were speaking a while later.

"No. It couldn't be helped. What's more important is that all of you are okay." He told him.

"Duo, having achieved evolution… He overcame their aspects and started to seek new life…" Enzan explained.

"Wily said it time ago: his mission was to observe and register various planets while removing from the Universe those planets deemed "threatening" to it..." Dr. Hikari muttered.

_How arrogant. They wanted to be the only ones to have such tech._

"The existences which have to protect their selves… Were all off-world ones destroyed too? For the time being we'll return there and submit the recorded materials."

"Yeah. I'm counting on you."

"Yes, sir."

Enzan ended the call and everyone eyed the crater.

"… "We shall pass down our will into this world's yet unborn civilization"… I wonder… The "yet unborn civilization" was meant to be us?" Meiru seemingly remembered something which had been said.

Netto nodded to confirm her hunch.

"… "Do not throw hope away"… So they said." Enzan muttered.

Everyone looked at the skies: Duo's comet was crossing through them and it was seemingly reminding them of its presence.

"If it's us, then… We'll be able to do it!" Netto exclaimed.

"Netto – kun, mail… From "Deepthroat"…" Saito suddenly announced.

"Who's that?" Netto frowned.

"Dunno. It merely says "play-time's over"… Sounds like a man, alright, but the address is non-existent and all data on it seems to be a fusion of other servers and addresses…" He reported.

"How weird." Enzan looked curious.

"Well! Now… Believe, believe… The camp is over there!" Dingo suddenly threw his tomahawk into the air.

"Dingo. They're already heading south while ya stare east." Tomahawk Man sighed,

"No way! O~i~! Wait for me, guys!"

_Like I've just told you guys… Play-time's over… Let's let the traitor, Freeze Man and Forte think about it… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh!_


	24. Chapter 23: The targeted Crests

**Chapter 23: The Targeted Crests**

08:49 AM (Utah Time), Thursday November the 5th…

"… This has been developed to serve as a new function for the next-gen PETs. It is customized via reading the front screen. And, also… It can also interpret body status and mindset status. It is something splendid, sir. Please try it out, sir."

Enzan was looking at a screen protector which had a rectangle shape with sharp corners which had a piece attached to the top which oriented backwards along with an indentation to attach to the PET: the assistant mounted it on the PET.

"What about the effects?"

The device scanned his palm and it shone right afterwards.

"What was that…?" Enzan wondered as he looked at his hand.

"Yes, sir? Is there something?"

Enzan did not reply since he was looking at his "Crest": it vanished after a second.

"No. It was nothing." He replied as he handed it back.

"Aha… You seem to be short in patience. Or it could seem that you aren't sleeping a lot either." The assistant commented with a smile.

"Don't prattle! You don't chit-chat about someone's body-status!"

Laika been typing on the keyboard when it flashed for a second: h then looked at his hand and could see the faint glow of the "Crest" even if it was gloved: he assumed a slightly resigned expression.

"Huh…"

Pride walked towards a building's entrance and used the hand scanner for clearance: it flashed for a moment.

"Huh?" She wondered as she looked at the "Crest" while frowning and looking surprised.

15:44 PM (Japan Time), Friday November the 6th…

_Let's check on Magnets… I know she's alive but I want to see what Umbra's doing with them. Besides… The events in those Brazil ruins were nerve-racking. Now I see why Cousin Vadous, there, on "my story", removed Duo from the picture altogether. _

"K. S." brought up his spy feed and spied on the room Tesla was confined into within the former "Neo WWW" HQ: she was sitting on the sofa next to a table and looked at single bread piece inside of a sealed plastic bag and a cardboard milk recipient with a straw set there.

_Trouble. If Umbra - kun brought these out of laziness from the fridge in the place then he's asking for trouble. _

BANG!

She brought her hands down on the table.

"What's this about? I told you that I wanted the full-class specially made _bento_, didn't I? Take this back!" She yelled.

Umbra was sitting on the table in a cross legged manner and with a hand leaning on his face: he looked resigned.

"… Jeez…! What a complaining snobby granny…! Since we've already taken the "Crest" we sought… Why don't we go ahead and dispose of her…? Cream Land's Pride. Sharo's Laika. Ameroupe's Enzan. And Tesla Magnets…" He glanced at a door.

"Hey! Are you listening? Reply something! Che!"

Tesla looked away from the small table on her living room with views to the city while Gauss was cleaning up a corridor using the vacuum cleaner: a "Dimensional Converter" was functioning near him.

"…There are another eight "Duo's Crest" owners left in Japan." Umbra calmly announced.

_So Cousin has begun to seize them. They have some purpose. And I hope you've been thinking about what I told you some days ago._

"Please leave it to me. I'll gather them at top speed, sir." Swallow Man offered.

"If you leave it up to my arts then it'll be a piece of a cake." Cloud Man offered next.

"It'll be amusing…" Umbra replied.

Umbra discreetly glanced at the dragonfly high in ceiling and seemed to be considering something but in the end he just closed his eyes and seemed to be thinking of a plan.

_Good… Think! Think! What are you? What's your reason to live? What would you want to do?_

Gauss turned off the vacuum cleaner and eyed the "Dimensional Converter" while wiping the sweat: he suddenly took out the plug from the vacuum cleaner and stabbed the "Dimensional Converter" with it to short-circuit.

"Hrum!"

An alarm blared inside of Tesla's office, actually surprising Umbra.

"Huh? What the heck?" He wondered.

A holographic screen with live footage from four surveillance cameras popped out: one zoomed into the frizzling "Dimensional Converter" somewhere.

"… Huh… The "Dimensional Converter" Number Thirteen says it's broken down." Cosmo Man reported

"He~h…" Umbra grinned.

"… I'm going to call for rescue ASAP, Tesla!"

Gauss ran down a corridor but a "Dimensional Converter" popped out in front of him: Umbra materialized while grinning.

"Hmpf."

He formed an ominous gaze which said it all: there was no escape.

16:49 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Today's Maha Curry is just perfect! I'll have seconds!"

"E~H?"

Netto was devouring curry, as usual, and Meiru looked scandalized: Count Elec was talking to Maha.

"Besides… That Dingo guy goes out to deliver and takes forever to come back."

"I can't contact him, either. What a problem! I wonder how long he'll take…"

The door opened and someone stepped in.

"Welcome!" Maha greeted.

They suddenly froze in place.

"You're…!"

"Ugh." Count Elec made a grimace.

The newcomer was Gauss in person.

_So they came. And I'm afraid they're being used through extortion: Umbra – kun mustn't feel strong enough to defy Cousin yet. _

"Gauss Magnets!" Netto gasped.

"_Aniki_…" Count Elec muttered.

Maha placed the "CLOSED" sign in the door while Guass dropped to his knees to beg.

"What did you say? Tesla…?" Netto asked.

"Y-yeah! I somehow managed to escape when I seized a chance but… My daughter is being imprisoned within the building's highest floor, you see! The building's interior is being controlled by the "Darkloids", so it ain't in a situation to simply run outta there! I beg of you! Please help me rescue my daughter!"

"Aren't you plotting something? _Aniki_?" Count Elec questioned.

"What?" Gauss looked up.

"_Aniki_ always looked at us like we were plebeians ever since some time ago! I won't be tricked!" He announced.

"Ki~! If it wasn't for my daughter's sake then I wouldn't dream of asking something out of you silly-headed guy!" Gauss hissed.

"What the hell's up with you? Is that the way you ask someone for a favor, huh?"

He walked off-screen and he and Gauss began a hand to hand discussion: dishes, forks, spoons and glasses rained around them while Netto and Meiru talked with Maha: they could hear the two of them yelling almost undecipherable shouts in the background.

"If I remember well… That "Tesla" person is the boss of the "Neo WWW"…"

"For Elec – hakushaku… That is something personal." Maha announced.

"Not like we can go there so easily…"

_Yeah! They look like pro wrestlers. _

_They look like pro wrestlers, niisan? You're pulling my leg, aren't cha?_

_Go your own half-way. _Saito challenged.

_Ah! No! Not until you confess what does that mean! Saito – niisan! _Netto growled.

_Trade secret, otouto…_ Saito kept on sounding amused.

_This is the 5__th__ time ever since the Animal Farm day._

"… That's right. We should firstly contact Commissioner Kifune and..."

"That's not an option!" Gauss exclaimed.

Both he and Elec had bruises on an eye, torn shirts and small scars from their discussion.

"Those guys are watching all the movements of the Net Police! If they realize the police are on the move… Think what they could to my daughter!"

"Che." Elec scoffed.

"I-in any case… We can't let Tesla's rescue slip out of reach…"

"But if we want to sneak into the "Darkloid" hideout… We'll need some important preparations." Rock Man warned.

"Okay. Then try to contact Nenji – san, Jasmine and Charlie too."

"I'm also coming, Netto." Meiru announced.

"Yeah!"

"Oh… _Arigatou_, everyone…" Gauss was actually crying.

"Since I can't trust _aniki_ I'll go too."

"Jack…"

"I'll make it clear: it's not _aniki_'s sake but for my poor niece's sake."

Gauss nodded and looked emotional while a person sitting in a corner partly hidden by the obscurity stood up.

"I've heard all of your discussion."

"Dark Miyabi!"

"H-he was t-there…?" Both Maha and Count Elec gasped.

"Let me participate as well. Tesla Magnets is my requester." He announced.

"…"Request"… You're still employed…" Netto looked uneasy.

"Since I've got no proof of the request's success… I won't gain a reward anyway." He calmly suggested as if to shatter the ice.

"Eh, heh, heh, heh… Okay! The meeting point is the "Neo WWW" building!" Netto grinned.

17:29 PM (Japan Time)…

"… Dingo! Oe! Dingo!"

"Man… Got lost again… Where's the delivery spot at…? It can't be helped… Believe, believe… Hah!"

He threw the tomahawk and it stabbed the ground.

"Here!"

"So here is the "Neo WWW" hideout, huh…"

Dingo turned to see Airstar and Count Elec standing behind him.

"Tesla is in the tallest floor: the 65th floor…" Count Elec commented.

"That granny sure can afford something that expensive…" Rokushadama joined them.

Dingo was baffled to find Jasmine at his side along with Rokushadama, Meiru and Miyabi.

"Hey! Dingo! You've come as well!" Jasmine greeted.

"Guys! What are you doing here of all places?"

"We got called up by Netto." Airstar announced.

"I've been trying to tell you! Rock Man was trying to communicate with us!" Tomahawk Man told him.

"Ah! I remember!" Dingo grasped.

Netto caught with them, carrying a red PET.

"Sorry for the holdup! Here! Have this."

"This is Tesla's PET?" Gauss asked.

"I managed to "borrow" Magnet Man from the Science Labs since there was going to be an analysis!" He admitted as he handed it over to Gauss with a smile.

"Oh! Magnet Man!" Gauss gasped in relief.

"I shall do anything to rescue Tesla – sama."

"Hum!"

"Heh, heh! I thought as much… He's a stiff guy! Okay! Let's break in!"

Netto's PET beeped and he spotted Meijin onscreen.

"Oh. Meijin – san."

"_San wa iranai…_ Could try to explain the meaning of this, Netto – kun? "I need to take out Tesla's PET"…" Meijin asked.

"_Gomen_, Meijin – san. We were going to rescue Tesla, ya see."

"Rescue Tesla…?" Meijin didn't seem to have heard him well.

"Yeah! Please deploy the "Dimensional Area" when we need it! Let's go!"

The group began to run off

"Huh? What do you mean? Where are you at, Netto - kun? Oe!"

The group was inside of an elevator and climbing floors.

"It looks like a totally vulgar building!" Meiru muttered.

"I thought that if it was a hideout it'd be designed as some kind of secret base…" Dingo admitted.

The elevator stopped at the 55th floor.

"Since this is the 55th floor, then…." Airstar commented while eyeing the foyer.

"There are another 10 floors left…" Jasmine added.

"That's because all floors above us are the "Neo WWW" offices. Normal employees are forbidden from coming in." Gauss announced.

"Hum…"

Netto walked a step forward but Gauss grabbed him from behind.

"Wait!"

A series of bamboo lances intercrossed in front of him.

"Ie~h!" Netto gasped.

"Phew!" Gauss sighed in relief.

_Somewhat old-fashioned, ain't it? _"K. S." grinned.

"That's some quite dangerous security, it'd seem!" Airstar commented while looking somewhat annoyed.

"Over here."

Gauss pointed at a set of double doors with the "SECURITY ROOM" banner over them: they entered the room and Gauss typed into a computer's keyboard.

"You need to release the security system to navigate this floor. You can pass the security with the permit you'll receive here." Gauss explained while he set it up.

"E~h…"

Netto used a hand scanner and the computer displayed the word "ENTRY": Umbra suddenly grinned.

"Heh."

_The machine is rigged. He's surely contacted Cousin to get his go-ahead for this plan. _"K. S." deduced.

"… Is this O.K.?" Netto asked.

"Yup. Now. Everyone, too. Hurry it up."

Various screens displaying the "Crests" popped out somewhere else while the group walked along the corridor keeping one hand open and near the wall: a green rectangular beam of light pointed downwards.

"We can now go ahead!"

They kept walking for a while before stopping.

"Piece of a cake, piece of a cake! Heh, heh."

The beam appeared and Netto grinned.

"Wait." Miyabi suddenly ordered.

Miyabi threw three triple-needle objects forward: a small device came out of the ceiling: an orange laser broke them and stopped a few centimeters short of Netto's foot.

"What is the meaning of this? _Aniki_?" Count Elect questioned while looking suspicious.

"Why did this happen? Security should've been released!" He wondered.

Another two devices popped out and they all ran for it: Miyabi grabbed the two girls and jumped into the ground.

"Meiru – chan, Jasmine!"

"Netto!" Both yelled.

A steel shutter closed in the middle of the corridor and separated them while another came down behind them.

"We're trapped!" Rokushadama cursed.

"What should we do?" Dingo asked.

Miyabi and the girls eyed another shutter closing in front of them.

"What's to be done?" Meiru asked.

"So they want to fight us back… Plug In! Shadow Man, Transmission!"

Shadow Man appeared on the Cyber World and eyed three cannons in front of a malfunctioning switch.

"Evil Source!"

He threw a fireball which lit the ground.

"Huh! It'd seem we'll have to use the Cyber World to break through this spot!" Airstar realized.

"Good! Leave it to me! Heh! Hrah!" Dingo exclaimed.

He blinked an eye and took out his tomahawk: it hit the control panel and caused a small explosion.

"Didn't you try to Plug-In…?"Tomahawk Man grumbled.

The shutter opened.

"Cool!" Netto whistled.

"No big deal!" Dingo grinned.

_Don't get confident._

Netto moved forward but a _PING_ sound warned of another trap: a wall of electricity formed in both ends of the corridor.

"No good!" Rokushadama gasped.

"It's coming over here, too!" Airstar warned.

"Then… Plug In! Tomahawk Man, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Nenjiro, Transmission!"

"I'm telling ya I ain't "Nenjiro"!"

Netto gulped and made a grimace.

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Napalm Bomb!"

The Viruses were deleted and the trap shut off.

"Go on ahead, Netto!" Dingo told him.

"We're gonna handle this spot!" Rokushadama added.

"I get it! _Arigatou_!"

Netto and Airstar ran off while Miyabi and the girls were climbing the stairs.

"Jeez! Why do we have to climb these?" Meiru complained as she ran.

"Just rush it up and let's meet up with Netto!"

"… 63th Floor…! Just another little bit…" Airstar muttered.

"The area surrounded by a "Dimensional Area" is above this." Gauss warned.

An alarm blared and a doll of water hit Netto: the culprit was a berserk fire hose.

"Plug In! Magnet Man!"

"Plug In! Elec Man!"

"TRANSMISSION!"

"Hmpf. I never thought a day would come in which we would fight side-by-side." Elec Man announced with obvious distrust.

"Hmpf. It's for Tesla – sama's sake! They're coming!" Magnet Man shot back.

"Lightning Blast!"

"Mag Ball!"

The two attacks made short work of the water-type Viruses.

"Now! Go, Netto!" Elec exclaimed.

"Okay!"

Both he and Airstar ran on forward.

"… Go, Tomahawk Man!"

"Nenjiro! Vulcan Arm!"

"Tomahawk Air Raid!"

"I'm telling ya I ain't "Nenjiro"!" Napalm Man yelled while attacking and sounding annoyed.

The attacks hit the cyber core and disabled it while Miyabi and the girls were about to climb another stair.

PING!

"Get down!"

Miyabi tackled himself and Meiru to the ground as bamboo lances came out of the wall.

_Traps everywhere! Tesla didn't waste her time! _

"EH? What's come out?"

Both Netto and Airstar had stopped on seeing some robots standing in their path.

"They seem to be doubling as security! The goal has to be close by!"

"PLUG IN!"

"Gyro Man!"

"Rock Man EXE!"

"TRANSMISSION!"

Both Navis were met by gun-type Viruses.

"Gyro Air Form!"

"Battle Chip, Wide Sword! Slot In!"

"Wide Sword!"

The attacks effectively disabled the robots: Guass and Elec walked over to them and the ground began to shake.

"What the…?" Elec wondered.

Tons of "Dimensional Converters" popped out all along the building's corridors.

"A "Dimensional Area"!"

Cosmo Man came out of the ceiling with a round gateway-like hole and grinning.

"Heh, heh, heh. I'll teach you fools about your powerlessness." He announced.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Cloud Man appeared in front of Rokushadama and Dingo.

"Heh, heh."

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Swallow Man intercepted Miyabi and the girls.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

"… What's going on?" Tesla wondered.

She was glancing at the ceiling was shaking and yells could be heard.

_The sounds and vibrations must be transmitted across the building: there's nothing above her, anyway. _

"… Cosmo Buster!"

"Hi Cannon!"

"Gyro Cutter!"

"Cosmo Ring!"

"Let's go to where Tesla is at while we can." Gauss muttered as Magnet Man returned to the PET.

He ran off all of sudden while taking advantage of the others being focused on defeating the "Darkloids" but "CF" Netto spotted him running off.

"Gauss!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

"UWA~H!"

"… Elec Storm!"

Cloud Man summoned a lot of storm clouds and vanished.

"Huh! Where is hiding at?" "CF" Dingo wondered.

A cloud appeared behind him and "CF" Rokushadama and electrocuted them.

"You guys will be able to catch up with my movement? Swallow Drive!"

He hit the three of them while Gauss ran up the stairs at a mad speed, climbing into the 64th floor.

"Wind God Racket!"

The wind dispersed the clouds except for one.

"There! Vulcan Arm!"

"UGRA~H!" Cloud Man yelled.

"Bamboo Lance!"

"Fire Punch!"

"UGRA~H!"

The two attacks were more than what he could endure: he was destroyed in an explosion.

_Another pawn goes down! _"K. S." grinned.

_Hmpf! Today they win and then we'll only have to kick Duo out of Earth before we can rise again! _Freeze Man grinned.

"… I'll stop that guy's movement! Meddy Capsule!"

The attack paralyzed Swallow Man in mid-fly.

"M-my body…!" He uttered.

"Sneak Attack!" "CF" Miyabi announced.

"CF" Miyabi appeared from behind and sliced him.

"Earthquake!"

An Earthquake Virus appeared on top of the "Darkloid" next.

"OA~H!"

He was crushed under it and destroyed: the three "Cross Fusion" members nodded in agreement.

_Heh. Three pawns down, one left… But something tells me Umbra – kun will survive this. _

Gauss entered the slight obscure office and walked towards one of the doors: he knocked into it.

"Tesla? Are you okay?" He called out.

"Father? Is it you, Father?" Tesla wondered.

The door opened and Gauss stepped in: Tesla stood up from the sofa.

"Father! You're late! Aren't you?" She protested before calming down.

"Sorry. Let's get outta 'ere."

Gauss popped his head out the door onto the office: he saw no one although the revolving chair was facing the city so he started to walk off the room.

BANG!

They turned at the sound to see Umbra sitting on top of the table and crossing his right leg under his left hip while pointing his Buster upwards: smoke was coming out of it.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…."

"… Battle Chip, Silver Fist! Ogra~h!"

"OUGHWA~H!"

The attack hit Cosmo Man on his stomach thus forcing him to flee: the inertia from the attack propelled "CF" Netto upwards thus allowing him to break through the ceiling.

"… I brought over the whole of "Crest" - something owners according to what you told me! I'll be taking Tesla back!" Gauss protested.

"Did you think you'd be able to go back unscratched despite that? You're rather naïve…" Umbra began correcting but stopped.

_You must fear Cousin's watching you so you're dancing to the tune of his stupid script._

The room suddenly shook and "CF" Netto appeared by breaking through the floor.

"It's been a while! Hikari Netto! Saito." He greeted with a smile.

"So that's what was going on!" He exclaimed.

"As I thought: you got fooled, you _baka aniki_!" Count Elec cursed as he stepped in.

"It was for the sake of rescuing Tesla! You nitwit!" Gauss replied.

A holographic screen popped out displaying _eleven _"Duo's Crests" floating and spinning inside of it once Umbra lifted his right hand.

"Those are…!" "CF" Netto exclaimed.

"Indeed! "Duo's Crests", ya see. I've taken the "Crest" data from you guys. Including those of your overseas pals…"

"Huh?" Netto gasped.

"Why did you know about "Duo's Crests"?" Saito demanded.

Umbra jumped into the ground and stood up to his full height of slightly over a meter and fifty.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Netto!" "CF" Meiru called out.

The rest of the group quickly entered the room: "CF" Miyabi warped in, "CF" Airstar flew in via the hole in the ground and the rest of them just walked in.

"We've beaten your accomplices!" "CF" Dingo exclaimed.

"Get ready!" "CF" Miyabi declared.

Tesla looked uneasy.

"Hmpf. Duo's 8 chosen ones… Good performance, Gauss..."

Gauss closed his eyes and looked repented.

"Get along when you reach the Afterworld. This will be you guys' graveyard…"

Gauss gasped in fear.

"_Bye – bye_!" Umbra made a sinister smile.

"Wait!" "CF" Netto ordered as he drew the Rock Buster.

"Heh!"

"CF" Netto started charging his Rock Buster and so did Umbra: tThe two attacks clashed and did not damage anyone.

"Hmpf."

Umbra fled and the "Dimensional Area" faded away so everyone retrieved their PETs: the ground began to shake all of sudden.

"What the…?"

The area was collapsing as police cars parked on the street.

"What's going on?" Meijin wondered.

His PET beeped.

"Meijin – san! We need a "Dimensional Area", please!"

"_San wa iranai!_ Science Labs! A "Dimensional Area"!"

Gauss took out his "lady" disguise and started to cry.

"We're doomed! That can't be~!"

"Uoh!"

Gauss and Elec were sinking in the crumbling ground.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Everyone performed "Cross Fusion" again.

"Dash Attack!"

"CF" Netto carried Elec out of the collapsing sphere by riding atop a Virus.

"Huh… Saved…" He sighed in relief.

"Ya~h!"

"CF" Rokushadama grabbed Gauss by the back of his disguise's collar and used his thrusters on the back to slow his descent speed.

"Ya~h! No~! No more!" He shrieked.

"Stop struggling! It's dangerous!" "CF" Rokushadama scolded.

"Huh?" Gauss looked at him.

Tesla was in free fall, but, suddenly, "CF" Airstar grabbed her.

"Charlie!" Tesla exclaimed.

"It's okay! I'll finely escort you 'till the surface, _honey_."

"Virus Chip, Cloudy!"

A cloud with an umbrella appeared and "CF" Meiru used it to descend slowly: "CF" Jasmine activated another Virus.

"Byte Note!"

This Virus was shaped like a musical note: "CF" Miyabi jumped from debris piece to debris piece.

"Steal Jelly!"

"CF" Miyabi used a gelatin – like Virus to absorb the force of the landing.

"Ua~h! What can I use at such a moment?" "CF" Dingo yelled while waving his arms as he fell and looking totally terrorized.

"Calm down, Dingo! Battle Chip: White Web!"

"Ah! White Web!" Dingo sounded relieved.

A spider's web formed and he was stopped by its elasticity.

_PHEW! Cousin! Trying to force a young man into MASS murder…! You're not different from a despot!_

_Huh! That was dangerous. The "Crest" owners need to survive until Duo can be defeated… _Freeze Man sighed in relief.

"_Arigatou._ Send greetings to both Father and Uncle."

Tesla kissed Charlie on the cheek, surprising him: she then jumped out of his arms and performed "Cross Fusion" given how Gauss had seemingly given her the PET along with the "Synchro Chip" already.

"Battle Chip, Barrier!"

"Tesla~!"

"CF" Tesla flew away and out of sight.

_They still want to act on their own, eh?_

Evening began to set in: the top of the "Neo WWW" tower was no more and debris piled in front of it.

"Ah… I thought we were done for…!" Dingo sighed.

"I don't want to go through it again!" Meiru complained.

"But we should be glad that we're all okay!" Jasmine smiled.

"Huh? Eh? Where's Tesla?" Netto asked.

"She fled! "Jeez… She's a sneaky - like miss."

_Otouto…_

_What's up, Saito – niisan?_

_I wonder why Umbra is collecting the "Crests"… _

_But what are "Duo's Crests" about, anyway?_

They stared at the comet flying across the skies while being lost in thoughts…


	25. Chapter 24: Why the heck are you here?

**Chapter 24: Why the heck are you here?**

20:20 PM (Japan Time), Friday November the 6th…

_And here we are, the aftermath of today's adventure… Our gentlemen are alright but Cousin's rushing everything up. But there should one "Crest" which he shouldn't be able to gain no matter what… Or maybe he could?_

"K. S." looked on the scene of the day's adventure: Misaki and Netto were discussing the recent events.

"We still have no confirmed data about Tesla Magnets' whereabouts."

"Well. I guess she's fled to somewhere else by now."

"Netto!"

Airstar walked next to them.

"If there's nothing else to be done then I guess we can go back."

"That's right. Thank you for your cooperation." Misaki told him.

"See ya. I've got to wake up early tomorrow morning."

"Ah… I wanna go back too…" Netto announced.

Airstar piloted the chopper and headed back to his apartment.

"Are you glad at just leaving, Charlie?" Gyro Man asked.

"You should know we've got a _schedule_! We gotta transport some clients tomorrow."

"Guess there won't be any VIPs amongst those clients, right?"

Airstar momentarily lost control of the chopper but was able to stabilize it before it could have an accident.

"This Navi dude… Don't step into people's personal stuff from time to time!"

"That's wrong, Charlie. We think that we're not needed. But truth is that we're here to _support_ them."

Airstar landed the capper on top of the building in which his apartment was located at: he climbed out and closed the door.

"Gyro Man! I'll gladly leave the rest of the stuff up to you."

"O.K., Charlie."

He heated up a pot of takeaway rice in the microwave oven, although he exaggerated the temperature because he burned his hand even while wearing his leather gloves.

"Ouch! HOT"

He blew into his palm to cool it off and ate it while seeing a show on TV.

"Go, G-3!" Someone commanded.

Airstar left the pot in the table and leaned backwards on the sofa, sighing: he suddenly noticed something which was out of place within the cushions.

"Huh?"

He looked at the right side of the sofa and saw _Tesla_ sleeping there, covered by the cushions.

"E~H?" Airstar yelled while jumping outta the sofa from the surprise.

Tesla awoke and moved aside the cushions: she was wearing a purple gown with pictures of magnets and then stretched to shake off the sleepiness and stood up.

"Te… Tesla Magnets…" He muttered aloud.

"Hey… Charlie… What's going on with this house's water heating equipment? Hot water won't come out at all!" She told him.

"Oh… Eh… Hum… Since that's administered by Gyro Man…"

"Then take care of that. I can't sleep without cleansing my dust."

She walked out of the living room to his surprise.

"W-why are you…?" He asked.

"Hey! As I thought: hot water won't come out..." She called out with a hint of annoyance.

"Eh? Ah… Gyro Man! Hot water! Hot water!" Airstar suddenly yelled into the PET.

Gyro Man appeared inside of the PET.

"Charlie. We have helicopter maintenance slotted in for next month." He reminded him.

"Eh? What? What did ya say?"

"Charlie! What's with the hot water?" Tesla called out.

"The engine would need a hot water swap, but…" Gyro Man interjected without acknowledging Airstair's face.

"Hey! Charlie! The hot water!" Tesla called out.

"Ah… Huh…"

"… If you could use some oil instead… Then it'd work splendidly and therefore…" Gyro Man began to expose without realizing what was going on at all.

"Huh! Oil?"

"Charlie! That's all the shampoo you have?" Tesla asked next: she was complaining again.

"Eh? Shampoo…?"

"It's not shampoo! I'm talking about oil!" Gyro Man corrected with some increasing annoyance.

"O-oil…?"

"Hey! What's with the hot water?" Tesla called out.

Airstar looked around, confused.

"Eh? Eh…? Ah…? HE~H? WHY THE HECK ARE YOU HERE~?" He yelled into the apartment.

11:11 AM (Japan Time), Thursday November the 7th…

"… I had a rather enjoyable flight."

Airstar had transported a businessman on his chopper.

"I hope your negotiation succeeds, sir."

"Yes, yes."

The chopper flew black across the city.

"So? What are you gonna do?" Gyro Man asked.

"Eh? A-about what?" Charlie asked.

"We gotta settle what do with _her_."

"Is it that important…?"

"The Net Police seems to be searching for her, but… Shouldn't we report that?" Gyro Man told him.

"She was the one who approached me! Can I do such a thing?"

"You left rather hurriedly yesterday."

"Yesterday and today… The situation's different!"

"That's wrong, Charlie. Taking her along is clearly bad."

Tesla stayed on Airstar's apartment, having some ice cream and watching the TV.

"Mwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! _Ramen_…! Ouch!"

The sound of an object hitting something metallic could be heard over the TV: Airstar returned to the apartment at that moment.

"Hey, Charlie… Why do you only have vanilla ice-cream in this house?"

"What would you like instead?" He dully asked.

"Marble… You should buy some of it."

"Ah… Yeah…"

"Charlie! Aren't you gonna set things straight?" Gyro Man asked.

"Hum… Tesla." He called out.

"What?" Tesla glanced at him.

"You… What do you plan to do in the near future?" He inquired.

"For the time being… I can't help but mistrust the looks of something."

"The looks? Huh? You mean mine?"

"I meant Umbra!" She now looked annoyed.

"Ah… And then…"

"I can't help but feeling that I must have that Umbra jerk, who had me go through such a horrible experience, pay back for what he did!" She let out in a fit of anger.

"It'll you leave Umbra up to the Net Police then they'll surely…"

"I am going to - do it - on my own - with these hands!" She proclaimed.

"I don't have any other ice-creams."

"Oh, boy…" Gyro Man muttered.

_Let's check on Ms. Yuriko… _

"K. S." had parked his car near a river to see Yuriko standing next to the banks of it: her PET beeped so she took it out of the pocket and looked at its screen.

"Hiya."

Umbra was on the screen: he was sitting on his throne and part of his body was obscured.

"Rock Man? No. Wrong… You're Umbra. I wonder how you knew this address… There isn't anyone who knows it anymore." She demanded.

_But I know the one who supplied them with the address._

"There are several things which even we Cyber World "Darkloids" can't do." Umbra went straight to the point.

"True. So then?" She asked while being unimpressed.

"I'm gathering "Duo's Crests". Yours happens to be the last one."

"Did you think I'd be nice and give it to you like that?" She amusedly questioned.

"You have an elder sister. Isn't that right?" Umbra suddenly brought up.

_Ah! Cousin! You rascal! You didn't have enough with what happened in May! Did you? _"K. S." grimaced.

"… And what if?" She tried to keep her tone neutral.

"You wouldn't want your big sis to suffer an accident, right? I'll be waiting at the "Dark Chip" factory remains on the reclaimed lands. Don't make me wait too much."

The image faded away and Needle Man appeared on the screen: he looked concerned.

"Shah, shah, shah, shah, shah! What will you do, Yuriko?" He asked.

"There's no other way around but to go there."

"But we dunno what that guy is plotting." Needle Man pointed out.

"Yeah. That's the sad part." She admitted.

She glanced at the skies as if thinking of something.

_Let's try to see if we can contact the Hikari gentlemen to help them out in this affair…_

"… However… I wonder why Umbra is gathering "Duo's Crests"…"

Netto was discussing the current events with Misaki and Manabe.

"He announced he'd gathered _eleven_, didn't he?" Manabe asked.

"He said the following…"

Rock Man cleared his throat, put up an "evil" face, and intoned Umbra's voice.

"… "I've taken the "Crest" data from you guys. Including those of your overseas pals." … Huh?"

Netto had taken hold of the PET and looked scared.

"So similar…!"

"Wasn't it obvious that we're alike?"

_Don't worry! I'm the real one!_

_Y-yeah… Huff. You scared me._

_Sorry. But I wanted to make it clear._

"There are a total of _thirteen_ "Duo's Crests". If he says that he's already gathered eleven… The only remaining people must be both Yuriko and Colonel Barrel's ones."

"We know too little about Tesla." Rock Man warned.

"Of course! Tesla! Where could she have run off to?" Netto exclaimed.

"The Net Police is running an investigation, but…" Manabe began.

"But we haven't found any hints yet. Given how we can't picture where she'd like to hide at…" Misaki commented.

Netto's PET beeped.

"Otouto! Mail." Saito announced.

"Mail? From whom? HUH?"

Netto looked baffled at seeing the contents.

_Aha-hah! Umbra – kun: you're underestimating your opponent!_

Yuriko walked towards a computer with a hand scanner installed on it: the screen lit up and Umbra appeared inside of the machine.

"Hiya! You're early. Press "Duo's Crest" over there."

The scanner shone.

"Give you this?" She asked as she looked at her "Crest" hand.

"Correct. Scan it and it'll be over. Come on." He grinned.

"Nope." Yuriko announced.

"What did you say?" He looked astonished.

_You don't know that she's a fighter too? She won't concede to you so easily and she's already thought in advance._

Yuriko took out her sunglasses.

"I'll tell you this: I won't hand over the "Crest"."

"What's this about? You don't care about what could happen to your elder sister?" Umbra questioned as he leant both punches on both sides of his torso.

"What you want is this "Crest", ain't it? Try to steal it by force." Yuriko challenged.

"So that's how it is." He grinned.

_Ah. But she has some aces in her sleeve._

"Yeah. True."

She took out her PET.

"I've come to battle you."

"Both of those ways are fine for me: as long as I can get the "Crest" you own."

Some "Dimensional Converters" popped out: Umbra and Cosmo Man materialized and stood atop a catwalk overlooking the room.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

The "Cross Fusion" was performed flawlessly.

"Cosmo Gate!"

"Mega Cannon!"

"CF" Yuriko easily dodged.

"Don't think that you alone can win against us!" Umbra taunted.

"I was thinking of fighting alone the whole time… But I… I've remembered to rely on others. Heh."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Umbra frowned.

A blast suddenly hit Umbra.

"You're…!"

"CF" Netto was there and pointing his Rock Buster at him.

_Heh. See, Umbra – kun? Don't underestimate the opponent. _

"Yuriko! Mariko – sensei is under everyone's protection now! The only thing left is to beat this dude!"

"Don't tell me you actually contacted the Net Police…" Umbra guessed.

"The "Darkloids" don't know much of the human world!" She taunted.

"What did you say?" Umbra hissed.

"Okay! Let's go for it!"

Both Rock Men aimed for each other while "CF" Yuriko landed in front of Cosmo Man.

_Heh. Let's see how you fail._

Misaki was keeping company to Mariko in a Net Police guest house.

"Excuse me… Where are we at…?" Mariko asked.

"It's one of the Net Police's rented guest houses. Please accept our escort during a while." Misaki announced.

"Yuriko requested it, right? Has something happened?"

Mariko looked at Misaki: she had that cat on her lap.

"Huh?"

"Because… Isn't that it? Because, otherwise… The Net Police wouldn't have bothered about me… Where's Yuriko at?"

"It is okay. Netto – kun has gone to track her. Please be relieved." Misaki assured her.

Dingo and Rokushadama were also present.

"It'd seem I must believe on that and wait…"

"Yes, ma'am."

Mariko was about to drink the tea when a crack appeared on the cup and the tea began to leak: she gasped.

"Yuriko…"

_And let's see what's become of the battle…_

"Yuriko! Backup will soon come! And then we'll win!" "CF" Netto told her.

"Entertaining. I'll be expecting 'em. Battle Chip, Long Sword!"

"CF" Yuriko jumped towards Cosmo Man, who looked panicked.

_It's over, big boy._

Suddenly, though, a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her sword arm from behind.

"What?" She wondered.

_No way._

A pillar of black light formed and then Yoru Yami stood there while sporting the hat and coat he'd been sporting in Paris time ago: he'd passed his left arm below Yuriko's left to restrain her while he gripped her sword arm.

"Y-you lowlife…!" "CF" Yuriko gasped.

"That's…! It couldn't be!"Saito yelled.

"That guy! That's impossible!" Netto uttered.

"Mr. Yami!" Yuriko gasped.

"It has been a while! Ms. Yuriko. If you wouldn't mind, though, you could also call me… "Demon King – sama" ..." He announced with a smug smile.

_Oh yes? Playing Maou again? _"K. S." looked annoyed by now.

"CF" Netto looked on, taken aback.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… The Demon Tribe's resurrection will come to happen! I need _something_, though!" Yami announced.

He applied pressure on the sword arm.

"Let go! Let go!" She demanded.

The sword faded.

"I shall take this "Crest". Good night!"

The "Crest" shone on her hand and Yami put his hand over hers, thus provoking an energy reaction: Yuriko yelled and the "Cross Fusion" was broken.

_What in the… You dirty cheater! Fight like a man!_

Her PET fell to the ground: she then fell into her knees and Yami let go of her left arm.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…!"

"Yuriko!"

Yami's body was surrounded by a sphere of a black light and he became Twilight, complete with his armor and cape.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! _Bravo_! I got the Crest! I am one step closer to gain a gigantic power."

"Yami! What do you plan to do by gathering the "Crests"?" "CF" Netto demanded.

"Need Not To Know. My… _Half - brothers_."

Umbra shot several shots at "CF" Netto which landed around him.

"Why are you guys…?"

"This is the reason: Twilight – sama created me, ya see." Umbra announced.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Both twins asked.

_Oh come on! Wasn't it obvious by now? Huh. Freeze Man. About time: he could help turn the thing around._

"Umbra! Mr. Cosmo Man! _Comrades_! Play with my _half-brothers_. If you win, then you get the 500 Credits prize." Twilight commanded while looking somewhat amused.

"Yes, sir." Both replied.

Twilight looked towards the south wall and prepared to flee.

"Hold it right there, Yami!" "CF" Netto yelled.

"Before I become the Demon King… Have fun with my _new_ _pet_. _Achtung, kinder_!"

Twilight waved his right hand: a jelly – like substance emerged from the ground thus assuming the shape of one of those jelly warriors Colonel had faced during the "Spectrum Incident" day: Umbra jumped besides the thing while Twilight formed the column of light and vanished from the room.

_Che! Bothersome meddling psycho!_

"Yami!"

"Cosmo Buster!"

"CF" Netto dodged and tried to take aim but Umbra shot at his feet.

"I'll have you sink into the Universe's "Dark". Cosmo Planet!" Cosmo Man proclaimed.

The attack broke part of the ceiling and bombarded the insides of the warehouse: "CF" Netto stood up while grabbing his right shoulder.

"Hell!"

"Heh, heh, heh, heh… You've realized."

"Saito! I can finally say _bye-bye_ to you." Umbra announced.

"I wonder about that!" Saito replied.

A chopper's engine could be heard and it was approaching: Umbra gasped and looked outside while "CF" Netto gasped in relief.

"Durundun… durundun… durundun… durundun…"

Tesla was singing onboard the chopper, which was flying over the bay in the afternoon sky.

"YOU'RE LATE, CHARLIE~!" "CF" Netto yelled over the radio.

"Sorry! I lingered around before departing! But I increased the backup thanks to that! Tesla! Couldn't you calm down for a bit…?"

Airstar suddenly saw that she'd opened the chopper's door.

"Let's go, Magnet Man! Hah!"

She jumped out of the chopper.

"Tesla!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

She used the speed to enter the "Dimensional Area" thus totally surprising "CF" Netto.

"Ta-tan!"

"Tesla! Why are you…?" "CF" Netto was baffled.

_I'd like to know that too! Did they approach Airstar knowing she'd have a chance to find Umbra through him? _"K. S." was surprised.

"Magnets suddenly showed up, Shuryou…"

"Magnets, you say!"

"Yes, sir. They apparently were riding in Airstar's chopper."

"Don't mind them. If they've come for Umbra…"

"Roger."

"Hum…" Umbra grinned.

"Umbra! How dare ya have me go through such humiliation! Get ready!"

She suddenly pointed an accusing finger at Cosmo Man as well.

"Cha too! I don't know cha name. But get ready!"

"Grr! My name's Cos…!" He was cut off.

"Mag Missile!"

"Uwo~h!"

The attack broke the catwalk and Cosmo Man fell headfirst into the ground actually surprising Umbra.

"Take these!" She proclaimed.

She shot several Mag Balls: Umbra moved out of the way and the attacks hit Cosmo Man instead.

"I…Incredible…" "CF" Netto was baffled.

The jelly fighter suddenly jumped towards him.

"Whoa! Battle Chip, Sword!"

He clashed blades with the thing and struggled in the deadlock.

"How is that?" "CF" Tesla taunted.

"Don't…"

Umbra cut through the smoke using a Dark Sword: he now looked psychotic.

"…get cocky~!" He yelled.

He jumped towards her and she gasped.

"Tesla!"

"CF" Airstar took the blunt and collapsed into Tesla's arms.

"Charlie!"

"That bothersome guy…!"

Umbra tried to shoot but was met with a volley of shots from "CF" Netto.

"You're asking for it!" He hissed.

_Now who's the one getting moody?_

"Are you okay? Tesla?" "CF" Airstar asked.

"Charlie… Are _you_ okay?"

"Jeez! You're so reckless, ya know… That won't do, man! Do you want me to become your Navi?" "CF" Airstar told her.

"CF" Tesla blushed at the commented.

"CHARLIE~! HELP ME TOO, WILL YA!"

"CF" Netto was surrounded by three enemies.

_Eat medicine, you big bully._

Freeze Man grinned and formed his diamonds which plunged into Cosmo Man from behind: he gasped and Umbra actually spotted them.

_Yes. You don't know what they are because Mr. Hikari Sr. hasn't seen them either… _"K. S." smiled.

"Gyro Cutter!"

"CF" Tesla looked emotional as she looked on.

"Tornado Arm!"

The attack sent Cosmo Man flying.

"That's fine, Tesla! We'll beat 'em up!"

"Don't say nonsense! Those "Darkloids" are my preys!" "CF" Tesla announced.

"Variable Sword!"

"CF" Netto finally cut the jelly fighter in two and it faded.

"Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile! Mag Missile!"

"CF" Tesla shot an array of magnets which hit Cosmo Man.

"Ugh… UWA~H!"

They were more than he could endure, so he blew up.

"Cosmo Man…!" Umbra looked stunned, for once.

_Alas… Too bad for you, but… That could play into my favor. _

"Come on! You're the last one!" "CF" Tesla announced from behind him.

Umbra glanced over his shoulder and smirked.

"Heh."

Umbra took out an Energy Bomb and dropped it into the ground to everyone's surprise: Umbra used the smoke to flee along with the "Converters": everyone faded out of "Cross Fusion" and retrieved their PETs.

"Umbra ran away, huh?" Netto commented in an unimpressed tone.

"Oe! Tesla! Where are you?"

Netto spotted Airstar walking around and calling out for Tesla.

"Charlie! Where's Tesla?" Netto asked.

"I don't see her anywhere, ya see!"

"HU~H? She ran away yet again?" Netto exclaimed.

_So it'd seem, Hikari. _Freeze Man wasn't surprised.

_Maybe they're trying to chase them? _"K. S." wondered.

They heard erratic footsteps and spotted Yuriko walking down some stairs which connected with the upper floor.

_Ah! Ms. Yuriko. She's unharmed. Thank goodness. _

"Are you okay? Yuriko?"

"_Arigatou_."

Wily and his trolley came out from the obscurity.

_Whoa! Dr. Wily!_

"As I thought… _That guy_ was behind it."

"Dr. Wily!" Netto exclaimed.

"Father!" Yuriko gasped.

"I hadn't thought that Yoru Yami, Regal's copy-cat, was still alive."

_Regal… Yes, I know that name… _

"True! What's that Yami guy doing?"

"Netto. Mr. Yami stole my "Crest" and he claimed that he'd gathered all of them." Yuriko told him.

"He's gotten them from all of the thirteen owners?" Netto assumed with surprise.

"Huh? Shouldn't it but twelve owners by now?" Airstar asked.

"Yeah! Barrel – san. The last" Crest" owner is Barrel – san, but… But he's already a deceased person. Barrel – san is a person of the past."

"Then… Shouldn't it be impossible for either we or that Yami guy to obtain the last one?" Airstar argued.

_Good point. _Freeze Man realized.

"No. The first "Crest" which Yoru Yami obtained had to be… Barrel Tai – sa's own one." Wily announced.

"Wily. Can you tell us in a simpler manner?"

"… Twenty years ago… I ran a certain experiment along with the Ameroupe Army."

_Wily had run a body check-up on Barrel in the Spectrum Island: he was lying on a metallic table and had several medical devices attached to him and over him: he had looked like he'd been sleeping and had had an oxygen mask on. _

"Barrel Tai-sa encountered some trouble during the experiment so I ran a physical examination of his body. Back then… I registered the "Crest" he had engraved within his right hand."

_A younger Regal was watching a photo of "Duo's Crest" via one PC located somewhere: he looked interested, given his smug smile, and then shut it down._

"And Regal… He ended up getting a hold of several pieces of data back when he escaped my lab, but… Barrel Tai-sa's "Crest" was inside of that data."

_I see. And then Yoru Yami stole it from that "Regal" man?_

"And now that I think back about I've realized it was "Duo's Crest"…"

"There aren't any other samples of that data? You didn't perform a backup of it?" Netto asked.

"None. He happened to get a hold of the only sample of the original data. It'd been well if he hadn't gotten picked by that but… If the imposter was alive then it's a different story altogether." Wily explained as he closed a fist around the trolley's handle.

"In short: that means that… On Mr. Yami's side, he's already gathered the whole set from the thirteen owners. But, on our side, we can't get the last one."

"I do not know either how he plans on using the "Crests"… However… He most likely pretends to get his hand on the _high-technology_ Duo possesses, I'd guess…"

_This is bad. That Twilight…! He's going to doom us all yet!_

18:14 PM (Japan Time), Sunday November the 8th…

"… Today it was a nice flight too."

One businessman had been brought somewhere by Airstar.

"I hope the negotiations are successful, sir."

"Hum!"

Airstar landed the chopper once the job was done.

_Let's check on them: Magnets could try to approach them again. But, really… Cousin is risking too much. Trying to defy a Cybernetic God which even Cousin Vadous was afraid of? You'll exterminate the whole Earth if needed to get your hands in that power? _"K. S." looked on while sighing and looking gloomy.

Airstar walked into the apartment bringing some takeaway food: he then sat down on the sofa and sighed as he took out the plastic bag and threw it into the garbage bin: he picked the cardboard spoon next.

"Hey… I've brought some "Hub Tea" but… Will you drink it?"

"Yeah, yeah… Go ahead…" He absent-mindedly replied.

He heard a sound.

"Hum?"

He looked at his right to see Tesla serving some tea into cups.

"Tesla!"

She sat at his right.

"You… Why are you..?"

She didn't reply.

"Eh! Hum! No! That… Ah! That's right… Tesla!"

He took out the ring she'd lost time ago.

"I've been keeping this for a while… I wonder if you remember it."

"What's that?" She suddenly asked.

She pointed at the takeaway cardboard box.

"Huh?"

It was some white rice with the sauce and the add-ons aside.

"That's Maha's Curry _Bento_, but…" He trailed off.

"Curry?" She asked.

A smell filled the air.

"Huh? What's that? This nice smell…"

"The dinner is roast beef, but… You prefer _curry_ instead." Tesla shrugged.

"It doesn't matter! I'll gladly have it instead!"

"It should be cooked soon enough…"

"You made it?"

"It can't be!"

She drank some tea.

"I never cook things!"

"Eh? Then…? Why…?"

"Excellent! It's ready!"

Gauss came in pulling a trolley just like in a restaurant.

"HU~H?"

_Oh boy. This is turning amusing, really. He's a chef too!_

Charlie stood up from the surprise and pointed an accusing finger at Gauss: he walked to him and put both hands over it.

"No, no! Airstar – kun! Sorry! But a father can't stop looking over them…"

"Huh…"

Gauss left the dishes with the roast beef and the add-ons on the table.

"Come on, come on! Eat some!"

Gauss patted Charlie's back.

"He'll make a nice nephew, Father."

"Oh. Let me check the TV for a sec."

He engaged the TV and some show popped out.

"Jeez! Father! We're having a meal!"

He shut it off.

"Eh… B-but… As expected of their class… They're rather calm. Isn't that right, my man?" He whispered to him.

"Huh… Yeah…"

"Here! Eat some of it!"

He handed him the roast beef with some sauce.

"Thank you."

"Eh… By the way… A little something… What's the relationship between you and my Tesla…?"

Tesla suddenly placed her hand on Gauss' left cheek and turned his face almost 90º to the right.

_Ouch. That gotta hurt, really. She's blushing, even._

"UOH!"

His teeth were clenched.

"Be nice, Father…!" She muttered.

"No! I just wanted to know about his neighbors, you see… You shouldn't blush…" He improvised.

The PET beeped: he took it out and spotted Netto on-screen.

"Do you have a min, Charlie?" Netto asked.

He turned to the right and put the PET near his smoked glasses so that Netto couldn't see.

"Eh… Yeah, yeah… What's up?" He asked in a low voice.

"It's about Tesla, ya see…" Netto began.

"HUH? Huh… Huh?" He looked panicked.

"It was delicious, Father." Tesla was commenting in the meanwhile.

"Heh, heh… It seems to be the case." Gauss chuckled.

"I wonder where they've gone off to…" Netto wondered.

"W-who knows?" He wondered as well.

"Tesla also has "Duo's Crest", ya know! I wanted to check up quickly on her hideout! We're rather stuck over here…" Netto continued.

"I'd like some more, Father." Tesla handed him her empty dish.

"Oh! You have appetite!" Gauss sounded satisfied.

"Charlie! Can you think of anything about Tesla? Wherever she's hiding at, it beats me… She must be plotting something…"

"Airstar – kun. Do you want some as well?"

"Yeah! E-eh?" Charlie distractedly replied.

"I'd like some duck for tomorrow." Tesla announced.

"Duck? Guess I could try to roast it… Airstar – kun?"

"Do you dislike roasted duck?" Tesla asked next.

"E-eh, no…" He muttered.

"Hey! Are you listening, Charlie?"

"E-eh? W-what?" He wondered.

"Ah… Oh boy…" Gyro Man muttered in a resigned tone.


	26. Chapter 25: Countdown to Annihilation

**Chapter 25: Countdown to Annihilation**

08:08 AM (Utah Time), Sunday November the 8th…

_What are those?_

Freeze Man looked on from somewhere in the Cyber World: various streams of energy colored in diverse colors were gathering there and shooting skywards towards a hole which was an entrance to the "Past Tunnel".

_Isn't that the "Past Tunnel"? Slur has to be close by… There!_

Slur was floating close to it and looking "skywards" as the energy streams travelled in a row towards the end of the "Past Tunnel": she firstly had her eyes closed, but she then opened them: she looked serious.

"Hum."

She flew "skywards" through the "Past Tunnel" without abandoning her serious face: she reached the "top" of the Past Tunnel and everything became white for a second.

_I don't know if I should dare to follow them… Let's use a Virus! _

Slur then ended up in another Cyber World which seemingly formed part of Duo's Comet: a blue spheroid was set on the center of it and various blue-colored lines headed towards it: there were some elliptic shapes similar to planet orbits set close by, too, and some streams of energy travelled across the straight lines, heading for the spheroid.

_That gives me the vibes? Huh?_

A mass suddenly emerged from underground in a bleak and rocky region while leaving a crevice across the terrain on its wake: earth, rock and dust accompanied its movement: it soon stopped and was revealed to be Duo's spacecraft: a red-colored Crest formed on the base while the dust settled as the energy kept on flowing towards the spheroid and it seemed to increase in brightness: Slur now looked eager.

"So! The Earthlings have chosen it: chosen the future of destruction."

09:14 AM (Japan Time), Monday November the 9th…

_What destruction._

Smoke and destruction could be seen happening in a city somewhere: a young girl was running away, but she tripped with something and collapsed and a shadow loomed over her.

_That's "Asteroid" Yamato Man!_ _They'd been granted to a person Mr. Laika knew but deleted time ago… Recycling? _"K. S." gasped.

"Asteroid" Yamato Man wore blue-colored _samurai_ armor over his body: it had a golden-colored band around the waist which was divided by several vertical and thin black lines.

His face was colored in a dull gray color: his mouth was a mere line shaped like a trapeze aiming upwards while a small cubical piece was set on his chin as well and his eyes' iris were colored brown.

The neck had a thick yellow metallic band around it which covered all of it expect the front: a _samurai_ helmet covered his head: a yellow-colored metallic piece shaped like a triangle facing forward was set on his helmet's forehead: there was another above it the shape of which was reminiscent of the Alphabet letter "V".

The round shoulders had a yellow band around their half to split into upper and lower portion.

Three rectangle-shaped plaques of armor extended slightly below the shoulder but before the forearm: each forearm was covered in cyan armor plus a yellow ring around the wrist: the top of the palms had a small dome-shaped yellow-colored object atop them: the arm and hand "skin" was colored black.

Another three layers of armor covered each hip: the pale blue and thick lower body began beneath the torso armor: it ended below the knees from which the feet emerged a piece of armor shaped like the front half of a cylinder covered the black "skin" while the front and rear of each foot were protected by blue armor which had a yellow border: it ended around the ankle and left a small space between each piece.

The chest section of the armor had a circular cavity on it with his drawing set on it: it was a black circle followed by a white space and a second black circle: a black dot was set in the middle and three small lines spread from it until the inner border aiming north, SW and SE: each line had an additional curved line cutting through them near the lower end.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…"

The girl looked panicked, but, at that moment, a "Dimensional Area" formed around the area.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Netto and Meiru underwent "Cross Fusion" on the spot.

"Battle Chip, Custom Sword!"

"CF" Netto blocked off "Asteroid" Yamato Man's spear while "CF" Meiru landed right next to the girl.

"Okay! Run while you can!"

The girl stood up and immediately ran away while both opponents struggled in the deadlock: "CF" Netto managed to maneuver and left a thunder-shaped wound on the chest of the "Asteroid": he groaned, collapsed with his back on the ground, and blew up.

_Phew._

A projectile suddenly hit "CF" Netto and kicked him backwards: the culprit was "Asteroid" Bowl Man, standing atop a rooftop: he jumped off as "CF" Netto reunited with "CF" Meiru.

"Battle Chip, Mark Cannon!"

"Roll Arrow!"

The Roll Arrow impacted the left arm and the Mag Cannon hit him on the chest, kicking him backwards: he blew up as well and a shriek rang out.

"Bothersome Asteroids… Let's go, Meiru – chan!" He rallied.

"Yeah!"

_Let's check on someone else…_

A city's church bell was ringing: a "Dimensional Area" space could be seen having been deployed there.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Laika and Pride performed "Cross Fusion" and they were met with the falling of four old-fashioned fuse-model bombs: "CF" Pride gasped and "CF" Laika pushed her asides.

"Princess!"

The bombs dropped around him and he had to shelter himself: the shockwaves pushed him towards a wall and he fell into the ground.

"Laika! Battle Chip, Shotgun!"

She aimed for "Asteroid" Bomber Man, who was standing atop a house, and "CF" Laika was directly beneath him: she shot, met the target, and the "Asteroid" blew up.

_Phew! Well done, Princess._

"CF" Laika looked up while clenching his teeth as he stood up: "CF" Pride advanced towards him.

"Are you alright?" He politely asked.

"That is my motto! Why did you do such a reckless thing?" "CF" Pride questioned with a hint of annoyance.

"If something were to happen to Princess Pride – sama then it would be problematic." He argued.

He looked at his right and they suddenly had to dodge a shot from someone that hit the ground: "CF" Laika aimed the Scope Gun and shot four or five shots towards an unidentified adversary: just like Meiru and Netto, they didn't pay attention to the comet which travelled across the sky.

_Duo's judgment…? What's going on? _"K. S." wondered.

Another "Dimensional Area" had been formed in a metropolis-like city placed close to the sea: police car sirens filled the air.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Enzan performed "Cross Fusion" and was met with a powerful gravitation force which kept him glued to the ground: Asteroid "Gravity Man" was the culprit.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"CF" Blues grumbled something and brandished his sword.

"Neo Variable Sword!

He managed to jump and shot the Sonic Boom at the "Asteroid", easily slicing him in two halves and blowing it up: he landed back on the ground and panted.

"Blues! Next!"

"Abnormality alert in Block 2. Asteroid: Air Man." Blues reported.

_Another one! How many of them are out there? _Freeze Man wondered as he looked out through sensor imagery.

"Shuryou. Something's odd. I can't believe all these "Asteroids" have been materialized because their Operators wanted to."

"True. Something reeks." Gospel confirmed.

"CF" Blues jumped into the air and headed there: "Asteroid" Air Man was expelling wind from its fan and breaking a store's exhibition space.

"Wuo~! Wuo~! Wuo?"

He'd spotted "CF" Blues jumping across the air and moving his sword, making three precise moves.

"Delta Ray Edge!"

The comet kept on flying across the clear skies.

_Is that the source of these attacks? But why? What's going on?_

_Next: Mr. Airstar and Magnets… I'm surprised she bothered to tag together but maybe she thought she'd find Umbra – kun sticking around so…_

"K. S." looked on as explosions rang out inside of a "Dimensional Area" occupying part of a suspension bridge

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Airstar and Tesla performed Cross Fusion: "CF" Airstar was immediately pushed into the ground by "Asteroid" Sword Man but he managed to sit up.

"You're asking for it! In that case… Gyro…!" He began.

"Battle Chip, Spread Gun!" "CF" Tesla announced.

"E~h! You've gotta be kidding!" "CF" Airstar exclaimed.

One or two shots impacted into him and blew him up to "CF" Airstar's surprise because one or two stray shots hit him as well: "CF" Tesla landed close by and "CF" Airstar faced her.

"That was horrible, Tesla! What the heck are you doing?" "CF" Airstar protested.

"Hmpf! I dunno why, but… I feel like a bug got into my stomach!"

She turned around and then glanced at the "30" painted on the bridge with white painting.

_Not this again… Admit that you're no longer in your late 20s and that you're in your 30s! _

The comet shone strongly on the sky.

_Maybe it's another trial? To see how powerful we really are? _

_Maybe it has something to with what Slur was up to hours ago: that energy could be the reason? _Freeze Man was looking on.

_Che! That Duo jerk… Won't he ever leave us in peace? _Forte grumbled as he looked at Freeze Man's relayed imagery.

_Let's check on Mr. Dingo next._

A soccer stadium had been encompassed within a "Dimensional Area" as well.

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

Rokusahadama, Dingo and Jasmine performed "Cross Fusion" and an explosion rang out.

_Who's there?_

"CF" Dingo was propelled against one of the fences separating the spectators' seats from the field: "Asteroid" Drill Man walked towards him and loomed over him.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

He aimed a drill towards him.

"Napalm Bomb!"

A projectile shot out from the left and impacted the "Asteroid", thus blowing him up: "CF" Rokushadama landed in front of "CF" Dingo to shield him.

"Crap! Why is everyone using the "Asteroids" to do evil things? If we keep like this, then Earth will…!" He cursed aloud.

"CF" Jasmine walked over to "CF" Dingo.

"Jeez. Can't you do something better apart from being knocked out cold at the first blow? Try using your head a little when battling!" She complained while waving her left hand's fingers.

"CF" Dingo got a sweat drop at being scolded by her but "Asteroid" Plant Man came out of nowhere and ran towards them.

"Clinic Bomb!"

The spheroid hit the "Asteroid" on the chest and shone: it then floated away and the "Asteroid" collapsed into one knee as the spheroid reached "CF" Dingo and seemingly restored his HP value.

"Great! Whoa!"

Some vines came out from under the ground, being summoned by the weakened "Asteroid": they tied up the group of three by their waists and upper bodies.

"Hmpf."

"CF" Dingo managed to use his tomahawk to cut them up and they then dived towards the panicked "Asteroid" who was frozen in place.

"Do ya think I'll let ya do whatever ya want?" "CF" Dingo yelled.

He apparently sliced him up as the comet kept on popping out across the skies.

_Well done._

"… "Asteroids" have suddenly appeared in a destructive rampage! The speed at which they pop out is higher than ever! Please check it out!"

Dekao was leaning over the counter at Maha Ichiban's while wearing his cook uniform and looked angry: the TV displayed footage of both Gravity Man and Air Man.

"The Asteroids which are appearing across the world by now are being fought in a hard manner by both the Net Police and the "Net Saviors"…!"

"Crap!"

BANG!

Dekao hit the counter.

"Netto too, Dingo too, Meiru – chan, and even Jasmine - chan…! They're fighting the "Asteroids"! Can't I do anything?"

His PET III beeped.

"Huh? Could it be that the Net Police is asking for me to act as backup, too?" He wondered aloud.

He yanked it and saw a businessman working on an office somewhere.

"… Hey… Dude… I wanna request beef with add-ons via phone for a meal…" The man began announcing before looking at the screen and being surprised.

Dekao looked_ scary_ by now.

"RIGHT AWAY!" He yelled.

He came out with the delivery case: the street and the adjacent buildings were a mess.

_Heh! What sad creatures! Humans sure are! They're still hungry at such a time? I've finally gotten it! It doesn't matter particularly that they're always hungry! I'm the one making the curry! That's the trial granted to me, ya see! Work hard, guys! I'll just keep on making superb curry!_

There was the sound of something flying across the sky and impacting upon a building behind him: he stopped and looked surprised but he seemingly suspected what had happened.

_Catastrophe? _"K. S." wondered

He turned around to see that a gigantic meteor had collided upon the Maha Ichiban building, getting half-embedded on it: he dropped the case from the surprise and stood there as dust swept the street.

_How sad. Well. Let's check on the Science Labs…_

Kifune and Meijin were revising footage of the day's battles.

"The "Cross Fusion" Members and the international Net Police are currently using the whole of their strength to delete the "Asteroids", but… There are a huge number of them." Meijin reported.

"Asteroid" Spark Man could be seen making use of his electrical abilities and Kifune looked down: "Asteroid" Cold Man materialized an Ice Cube and shot it at a truck.

"It'd seem that new "Asteroids" pop out right after being deleted. If we keep on like this…" He trailed off.

"Hum…" Kifune looked down.

"Commissioner? What is the problem?"

"No. No matter how much power to amplify human despair or hatred the "Asteroids" gave… It won't change that the ones who've caused this situation are humans themselves… That's what I think…"

"Ah…" Meijin sounded surprised.

"Just what is going to happen to our Earth?"

This Cyber World area looked devoid of life or activity.

"… Screen Divide!"

Colonel's attack sliced "Asteroid" Bright Man's waist in half, easily deleting him: he landed on that spot right away and sighed in relief.

"… It won't matter how many of these we delete… As long as Slur isn't defeated…! Where are you, Slur?" He muttered.

_Aha-hah! I was right. Whatever Slur was doing it's related to this: bothersome woman! _Freeze Man grumbled.

_So Slur's the source of the "Asteroids"? And we must try to stop them from granting more but that'll be difficult…! _

"… All of the appeared "Asteroids" have been deleted thanks to you guys. However, even so…"

Meijin was having a conference with seven of the Cross Fusion Members: Pride, Laika, Enzan, Netto, Jasmine, Dingo and Rokushadama, in the Science Labs during that day's evening.

"… They're but a fifth of the "Asteroids" which Slur has granted to the humans… Slur should show up around again. Please remain on a manner to be deployed again."

BANG!

Netto brought a fist down on the table.

"Hell! That Slur…! How many "Asteroids" does she plan on spreading around?"

"And more "Asteroids" might be being brewed up during this interlude, even!" Laika exclaimed.

"Can't we do anything else but keep on deleting the "Asteroids" which show up?" Enzan wondered.

The door opened and someone offered Enzan a drink.

"Here, Enzan!"

"Thanks." Enzan absent-mindedly replied.

He then looked up to see it was Anetta.

"Anetta! Why are you here?"

"Helping, helping! I know I can't fight like everyone else does, but I can lend you power, nevertheless. I hope I'm not irritating…"

"Not at all! Right?" Netto smiled.

"Irritated? The Science Labs are the "Asteroid" Counter-measure HQ! It's a location which might be attacked by the "Asteroids" one day or another, even! What do you intended to do if a battle formed here?" Enzan told her.

"Oh… I see… But I could protect Enzan at such a time!" Anetta replied.

"Go back!" Enzan ordered.

"No way…"

She hung her head down and looked depressed.

"Whatever! I'll be working hard for everyone's sake!" She exclaimed while getting content again.

She pressed the lemon drink against Enzan's cheek.

"Right?"

"Cold!" He protested.

_Don't take out your frustration on Ms. Anetta, Mr. Ijuuin._

19:49 PM (Japan Time)…

_Let's follow Colonel… _

Freeze Man spotted how Colonel was jumping across several platforms and he suddenly spotted a familiar stream of yellow energy travelling parallel to his course: he stopped and looked over there.

"That's…!"

The stream shot towards the horizon and Colonel gave chase.

"Found you! Slur!"

He became a red stream of energy and began to chase Slur: she was flying forward while looking calm: Colonel appeared behind her and at her right so she looked over there.

"Hum?"

She suddenly smiled.

"Hmpf."

Duo's comet flew across the night skies.

"How bizarre…" Meiru commented.

She and Netto were standing in the Science Labs' roof and looking at the comet.

"What's bizarre?" Netto asked.

"That "comet"… No one but us can see it!" Meiru brought up.

"Yeah… That's true."

They stood there but Meiru suddenly leant forward.

"Stupid Duo~!" She yelled.

Netto gasped and stepped back while shielding with his arms in an automated manner.

"W-whoa!"

"Ah… I had to! I'm glad I could do it at least once!" She smiled.

"Meiru – chan! What's gotten into you all of a sudden…?" Netto looked surprised.

"Well, I guess this is the why!" She showed her right hand to him.

"You mean… "Duo's Crest"?"

"Going and engraving such a thing to a cute girl… I've gotten mixed into having to fight the "Asteroids" thanks to it!"

She turned around and looked saddened.

"I'm different from Netto or Enzan! Since I'm… a normal girl…"

"Normal, huh…" Netto looked somewhat skeptical.

"… What did you say?" She questioned with a hint of annoyance.

_Yikes! _Even "K. S." gasped.

"No! Nothing!" He gasped and stood still.

"Even so… I don't want to become Netto's power, but… But… But… It's really scary!" She muttered while giving him the back.

"Meiru – chan…"

He put a hand over her right shoulder.

"Be fine! Don't be worried!"

Meiru turned around a bit and looked happy: she then faced him.

"Netto…!"

"Heh, heh!"

SLAM!

The door was opened all of a sudden and Jasmine came out.

"Netto!"

"Jasmine? What's up?"

Meiru looked like she was about to explode: she looked up and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Problems! Come down ASAP!"

Both looked surprised.

_Slur's handiworks!_

The worldwide map being displayed by the LCD monitor was filled with red spots which kept on increasing.

"This is…! What a thing!" Kifune cursed.

Meijin was typing into the computer console at a mad speed.

"…"Asteroids"! Huge numbers of 'em!"

"They appeared, then." Enzan muttered.

"Everyone! Deploy!" Kifune commanded.

"Okay! Let's go!" Netto rallied.

Rock Man was standing inside of his PET when a window displaying Colonel popped out all of a sudden.

"Saito!"

"Colonel!"

"Please lend me power! I'm quarreling with Slur!"

"What did you say? With Slur?" Netto asked he picked the PET III.

The other members stopped when they were about to run out of the room: they'd heard the news, so they turned around and gasped.

_Indeed._

Freeze Man looked on as how Slur and Colonel were clashing swords.

"If you keep on deleting the "Asteroids" then there'll be no end to them! The "Asteroids" are provided by Slur! So then… If we defeat the spreader of the "Asteroids", Slur, they'll be destroyed!" He reported.

Both of them struggled on the deadlock and Slur looked amused.

"Hmpf."

They jumped away from each other.

"Commissioner!" Netto requested permission.

He nodded in agreement.

"Rock Man! Cooperate with Colonel and defeat Slur!"

"I get it, Netto – kun!" Rock Man acknowledged.

"The adversary is the extraterrestrial Net Navi! We can't be carefree! Enzan – kun! Laika – kun! I want you two to cooperate with Netto – kun!"

"Roger!"

"The others: please protect the city from the "Asteroids"!"

"We understand! Let's go!" Pride replied.

"Yes, ma'am!"

They came out and the other three stood there.

"Okay! Let's go, too!"

"Plug In! Rock Man EXE, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Blues, Transmission!"

"Plug In! Search Man, Transmission!"

Colonel was thrown into the ground just as the three "Net Saviors" appeared on the scene.

"Colonel! Are you okay?" Rock Man asked.

"Yeah! Be careful! They have strength far above the "Asteroids"!"

"The arrival of reinforcements…? It does not matter how many Navis you call for: nothing will change. Earthling Navis cannot delete me." Slur dully announced while floating high in the air.

Colonel managed to stand up.

"What did you say?" Blues questioned.

"It would seem that you would not understand even if I told you why."

She gracefully descended into the ground and the others gasped in angst.

"Let's go!" Rock Man rallied.

He and Blues ran forward.

"Battle Chip, Long Sword!" Both Netto and Enzan announced.

"Scope Gun!"

Search Man shot three quick shots which hit the ground around Slur and causing some smoke but she didn't move an inch.

_Mere attacks won't do! You must pour out your whole strength if we want to get anywhere!_

Both Rock Man and Blues jumped over the smoke and towards her: she dashed forward at an impossible speed but found Colonel jumping towards her.

"Get ready!"

"Hmpf!"

She swung her arms forward: some wires were attached to them from behind: these wires wrapped into Rock Man and Blues' Long Swords and propelled them forward thus making them crash against Colonel.

"Rock Man!"

"Blues!"

Slur then dashed towards Search Man: he kept his cool and shot three shots: Slur had no problem heading left and right to dodge them while she kept on running forward and looking amused.

"What in the…?" Search Man uttered in disbelief while lifting his Scope Gun.

Slur extended two thin wires with a miniature cylinder at their end which formed a dagger form followed by a tetragon and by a rectangular shaft with a triangular lower edge: the two ends converged into another triangular end and then the frame was filled with energy becoming a graceful sword which she swung upwards.

"Hah!"

The attack threw Search Man into the ground.

"Search Man!" Rock Man gasped.

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

Rock Man shot and Slur quickly turned around: she swung her sword and deflected the projectile to make it hit the ground instead.

_No, no AND NO! That won't do! More power! Program Advances! _

She then looked up to see Blues diving towards her but she had to make no effort to block him with her sword.

_Will you not listen? Ah! What fools!_

Colonel ran towards her while she was busy holding Blues back but she merely aimed her left open hand at Colonel's upper body: energy began to build on it, to Colonel's surprise.

_We're in trouble! _Freeze Man cursed next.

She shot some small energy projectiles in a rush while bombarding Colonel and pushing him back: he fell to the ground while being seemingly exhausted.

_Hell! One down! _

Blues decided to get some distance so he jumped away but Slur smiled and looked like she was expecting such a move all along: she then simply lowered her sword.

"Hard to chew…! Can't we come up with some plan? Ah!" He muttered before gasping.

Search Man was recovering and managing to stand up: he aimed the Scope Gun and aimed for the back of her head: he shot but Slur merely _caught_ the shot with her left hand thus seemingly nullifying it.

"Ah!" He gasped.

"From behind: a nice attacking style." She announced with a hint of amusement without bothering to turn around or open her eyes at all.

Search Man kept on looking baffled.

"When you face an opponent stronger than you…"

She formed the sword's frame on her left arm and made the wires jump behind: they coiled around his Scope Gun and electrocuted him: Search Man collapsed into the ground while smoking.

"Search Man…!" Laika gasped in horror.

"In this case…! Enzan! Laika! Program Advance!"

"I know that even if you hadn't said it!" Enzan replied.

"Program Advance! Battle Chip, Spread Gun! Triple Slot – In! Hyper Burst!"

"Program Advance! Flame, Aqua, Elec, Bamboo Sword! Element Sword!"

"Program Advance! Battle Chip, Vulcan! Triple Slot – In! Mugen Vulcan!"

"GO~!" The three Operators yelled.

_Finally! Go, go! That has to at LEAST scratch them!_

"Hmpf!"

Slur merely stood there as she was bombarded by the "Program Advances" which caused a gigantic explosion.

"We did it!" Netto exclaimed.

_Have we harmed them? _

However, Slur was still standing there, totally unhurt and unfazed: she had merely spread her arms open a bit.

_Impossible! I-impossible! Not a scratch? _Freeze Man gasped.

_By all the…! Another reason Cousin Vadous wanted to keep them at bay from Earth on "our story"! _"K. S." gasped.

"Hmpf!"

"Impossible!" Blues uttered.

"The Program Advance…!" Search Man uttered.

"It didn't take effect, either!" Rock Man uttered.

Slur merely lifted her left hand and drew a red circle around the area, encompassing the five of them: red light began to emerge from inside of the circle, causing an explosion which pushed the three of them back and created a massive spread of destructive energy to encompass the whole of terrain.

_Ugro~h! My diamond's been hit and damaged too! _

The terrain was smoking and three of them were lying on the ground while Slur kept on being unharmed afterwards.

"Saito – niisan!"

"Is this… the extraterrestrial Net Navi's power…?" Enzan muttered.

"Did you understand it? The extent of power… Now that the Land has chosen its future you are in a situation which makes battling be meaningless." Slur dully announced.

"What do… you mean?"

Rock Man managed to stand up by holding the left side of his body with his right forearm: the other three managed to stand up as well.

"The humans of Earth… They have chosen their future... The future of annihilation…"

"The future of annihilation…?" Netto gasped.

_You gotta be kidding us. _"K. S." turned white.

"Humanity has chosen the future of annihilation, you say?" Enzan questioned.

"Correct… However…! The one who directly chose this future was not Duo… The humans of Earth themselves did."

"Don't screw us! Then what the hell were those "Asteroids" which you kept on sprouting out?" Laika demanded.

"They were tools to be freely used. It was humans the ones who used them in an abusing manner." Slur announced with a hint of amusement.

Laika gasped.

"The "Asteroids" can spot humans who possess an evil heart… They have the ability to change abuses into energy and gather it up."

"Abuse? You can transform that into energy?"

"Contemplate."

She opened a holographic window and displayed the energy being gathered into Duo's Comet.

"This is…!" Colonel gasped.

"The "Asteroids" have gathered it up from across the world… It can be named "evil energy", even."

"What you plan on doing by gathering that stuff?" Rock Man demanded.

"The gathered energy allows for Duo's Comet to engage. So as to erase this planet..." Slur let out.

"What did you say?" Rock Man gasped.

"No way!" Netto uttered.

_Hell! So "Asteroids" were intended to be abused from the start?_

"The humans of Earth shall be erased by that "malice"… So as to realize their own desires they cannot help but harm unrelated others in exchange… They are foolish life-forms, so as to speak."

_By all the… But the "Asteroid" numbers didn't even reach 30! You're going to judge 4 BILLION humans JUST because 30 of them abused around with the "Asteroids"? Guilty by association? HELL! You're a more selfish program than I could've ever believed! _"K. S." cursed.

The Operators gasped.

"Hmpf."

"Wrong!" Rock Man yelled.

"Huh?" She looked surprised, for once.

"Netto – kun wouldn't do such a thing!" He announced.

"Enzan – sama wouldn't, either!"

"When they do the same things as humans who have been granted "Asteroids" one day… Then who shall believe them?"

"We believe!" Blues replied.

"I believe in Netto – kun!" Rock Man exclaimed as he shot the Rock Buster.

"I do, too!" Blues exclaimed before shooting a Sonic Boom.

"Take this!" Search Man yelled as he shot the Scope Gun.

The three shots didn't make any damage.

"Believe…? Hmpf. Foolish Navis!" She closed her eyes.

"Enzan – sama! Give me a Chip!"

"Netto – kun! Otouto!"

"Laika – sama!"

"YEAH!"

"We get it!" Netto replied.

"Battle Chip, Wide Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Long Blade!"

"Battle Chip, Tank Cannon!"

Rock Man and Blues ran towards her.

"You do not seem to understand."

She formed both swords and gracefully blocked them.

"Eat this!"

"Hmpf."

She easily broke the upper segments of both swords and let the blast hit her from behind.

"Did that do it?" Blues wondered.

She'd lowered her arms and looked unimpressed.

"What?" Search Man gasped.

"A direct hit didn't…!" Blues gasped.

"She didn't get any damage!" Rock Man gasped.

"I have thought about several things. But, with this…" She announced with a smug smile.

She swung her arms and dispelled the smoke before rushing forward.

"… It shall be over."

She aimed both hands at Rock Man and Blues while turning serious and built up energy which encompassed the three of them.

"Laika – sama~!"

A mass of energy began to grow into the terrain and caused a brutal explosion.

"Saito – niisan!"

"Blues!"

"Search Man!"

The energy kept on flowing towards the core of Duo's Comet and some sparkling dust came out from the border of the "Past Tunnel" entrance: the real-world spacecraft rumbled as streaks of crimson red lighting emerged from its body mass.

_Hmpf… While the big imbecile is merely doing nothing I've snuck here to do some recon…_

Twilight, in an invisible, state, was hovering close to the core while having his arms folded and a smug look to his face: the spheroid's brightness kept on glowing in intensity.

_And, also…_

The spacecraft slowly emerged from the earth while surrounded by the streaks of lighting: the "Crest" showed up and glowed.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Good, good! Let's pull back already… _

He flew out through the "Past Tunnel" and then warped somewhere else before warping out of the Cyber World and shooting out of a laptop into some kind of doll which was standing in the real-world room.

This "doll" was about a meter and fifty tall and looked very simplistic human frames of no specified sex: their "skin" was made of a grayish material.

The arms ended in small spheres instead of hands and had no care to details like the legs: the chest had a small metallic circle set on it with three metallic trapezes forming at the north, SE and SW spots of the structure and having a small dome-shaped emerald jewel set in the concave cavity inside of it.

_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…_

The thing glowed and then transformed into Twilight: he spread his arms wide and grinned.

"Soon… Ultimate power will be mine! Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh...!"


	27. Chapter 26: Bond less One's Battle

**Chapter 26: Bond - less One's Battle**

8:09 AM (Utah Time), Monday November the 9th…

_Let's drop by the Time – Space Tower and check out…_

"K. S." turned on his PC and looked into the control center of the Time – Space Tower.

"Time - Space Tower, Activate." Dr. Hikari ordered.

The tower engaged.

"Investigation Probe… Fire!"

A beam of light travelled towards the end of the "Past Tunnel".

_What's there? The key to defeat Duo…?_

One of the monitors in the control center displayed the header "30 years ago" as a small probe appeared in the air of the Ameroupe Desert and it ascended using four jet propellers: it stopped and opened two flags to maneuver while its camera lens examined the terrain.

"We've succeeded in achieving total control of the "Past Tunnel"…"

"The investigation probe has safely crossed the tunnel."

"What era did it arrive to?" Dr. Hikai asked.

"The past Earth of 30 years ago… We did it, Hikari – hakase." One of the technicians commented.

"Yes!"

"Imagery is being sent."

"This is…!"

"Length: two hundred meters! Estimated weight: 4.05 million tons! Made of an extraterrestrial metal… A super grand energy body…! Ha – hakase! Is this…?"

_By all the… Is that…?_

Duo's Comet or, rather, his spacecraft, could be seen onscreen: it had left a crevice on the ground after it had emerged from the underground: the "Crest" was visible on the cylinder part of the spacecraft and it was shinning with a red light.

"Ha-hakase! Is this…?"

"My assumption was correct… As I thought: it existed in the surface! Duo's Comet did…"

Netto and Meijin were flying onboard a chopper and eyeing the damage caused by the mass appearance of the "Asteroids" several hours later in Japan.

_The early hours of Tuesday November the 10__th__… _ _And what a panorama, truly…_

"… How horrible… It's the same in both Ameroupe and Japan… Meijin – san… Now that everyone else is fighting the "Asteroids"… Why has Papa asked for me?" Netto muttered before asking.

"We detected an important fact last night related to Duo … It'd seem he wants to speak of it face-to-face. Netto – kun, Enzan – kun and Laika – kun… The three "Net Saviors" who are "Duo's Crest" owners…"

"An important fact… What could it be about, Saito – niisan?" He asked.

"Well… I dunno, too." Saito admitted.

_Now let's check on Umbra – kun…_

This Cyber World was filled with floating stone gears and Umbra was sitting on one of them and the environment was surrounded by bluish energy: Umbra had lowered his head, so his gaze was hidden.

_I was stolen out of Hikari Saito A.K.A. Rock Man by Twilight – sama's hands… _

_Rock Man was transferred into the "Past Tunnel" and then a "figure" surrounded by a purplish light flew towards him from upwards: they then hovered over him._

_Rock Man reacted to the light and opened his eyes in a slow manner as if he was sluggish._

"_Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh…" _

_The "Dark Aura" inside of him began to pour out and spread in the form of an irregular mass of energy between him and the figure: two eyes with purple irises formed there and then gave way to an image of the right side of his face with red irises: the "reflection" formed a smug smile._

"_Hmpf."_

_They vanished and Rock Man slowly closed his eyes from the tiredness: the "figure" formed a sphere the size of a soccer ball and the "Dark Aura" flew inside of it before they began to flow away._

_Knowledge and battle abilities which are identical to Rock Man… _

"Right… Even his thoughts…" He muttered aloud.

"_They were a planet whose civilization's Network technology was transcendental. But you existences like you two are a first. Are you beings Net Navis? Humans?" Duo demanded._

"_Are you talking about our "Cross Fusion"?" "CF" Blues grasped._

"_CF" Netto didn't stop looking nervous and gasping, switching between looking at Duo and "CF" Blues._

"_What is "Cross Fusion"?" Duo demanded again._

"…"_Cross Fusion" is the fusion of Net Navis and humans." "CF" Blues said._

"_The fusion of Net Navis and humans…" He calmly muttered._

"_We Navis are friends with the humans!" Rock Man declared._

"…"_Cross Fusion" is the proof of that strength!" Blues added._

"_Those like Wily or Twilight… There are criminals of the Cyber World. But! We've overcome several crises thanks to this strength!" "CF" Netto tried to explain._

"_If you say that you intend to destroy Earth then…" "CF" Blues began saying._

_They drew their default weapons. _

"_Duo! We will fight you!" "CF" Netto declared. _

"_Hold back!" A feminine voice commanded. _

_Some light spears rained down around them and they could a sphere of energy which shaped into Slur: she then floated on top of Duo's right shoulder. _

"…"_Cross Fusion"… How powerful is this strength? I want to witness this planet's future." Duo declared._

"_Witness the future?" "CF" Netto gasped._

"_I will grant you "Duo's Crest". This is a trial aimed at humanity!"_

"_Trial?" "CF" Blues asked._

_Duo suddenly shone and a blue energy wave hit them: they tried to shield themselves but everything suddenly became white._

"Even my thoughts resemble Rock Man's… Hmpf."

Umbra made a smirk and lowered his gaze for a moment.

"But, I am…" He trailed off.

Rock Man suddenly noticed something fleeting and pressed a hand against his forehead.

"What was… that? Someone's thoughts flowed inside of my head… What exactly are this loneliness and sadness…?" He muttered while sounding tense.

"… Umbra. _Comrade_." A familiar voice boomed out.

Umbra gasped: the gears were erased except for the one Umbra was in and he stood up as Twilight appeared there.

_Che. Cousin got there ahead of me. _"K. S." grumbled.

"This time has finally come. This mission shall decide if you are worthy of evolving to a "Demon Tribe" soldier." Twilight announced.

_What "mission"? You want to pull the same thing you did on Ms. Yuriko back in May?_

Umbra stood firm and tried to look unimpressed.

"… What did you say? Duo's Comet is on the Earth of thirty years ago?"

Netto, Enzan, and Laika had gotten to the Time – Space Tower control center and were talking with Yuuichirou.

"That's impossible!" Laika was also stunned.

"What does this mean, Hikari – hakase?" Enzan tensely asked.

"Duo's Comet had to be somewhere in Earth to destroy it. I've been pondering on the sudden appearance of this gigantic crater. The day when Duo's Earth Erasure began… There's no mistaking that he made something crash into Earth on that day…"

_As described by Professor Takei, a mysterious glowing object had fallen from the skies into the Utah ridges, falling below the horizon and causing an explosion the brightness of which was stronger than daylight along with a brutal earthquake._

"However! That "something" vanished. What was instead left on the crater was… The "Past Tunnel" linking with the past…" Meijin continued the explanation.

A diagram appeared on a screen, showing four globes connected by a red arrow, with the heading "Past Tunnel": each globe was labeled, starting with the label "the present", followed by "10 years ago", continuing with "20 years ago" and ending with the lab of "'30 years ago".

"Correct. But that "something" existed. Duo crossed his self-made "Past Tunnel"… And headed back into Time… It dropped into the Earth of 30 years ago!"

_30 years ago! 1975! _

A small dot labeled "meteorite" travelled across the arrow until it reached the globe labeled "30 years ago" and footage from the probe came up: all of them were stunned.

"This is… Duo's Comet?" Rock Man and his partners were stunned.

"That's…" Blues muttered.

"There's a "Crest" in the comet!"

Umbra was standing with the "Crests" hovering around him and forming a circle: they merged with him by flowing into his chest emblem.

"You shall investigate "Duo's Comet". The key to my Demon Tribe's resurrection is in there." Twilight commanded.

Umbra had lowered his gaze and seemed uneasy.

"Hmm? What's wrong? Do you want to say something?" Twilight questioned with a hint of annoyance.

"Twilight – sama. Why do people seek bonds?" Umbra asked as he looked up, seemingly troubled.

_Ah! I knew it! Existential doubts! But you've asked the wrong man: he'll shoo them away! You should've tried to approach me in the manner I told you of… Or was Cousin monitoring you the whole time? Che! Trying to deny him the truth…! You tyrant! _

"… Papa. If… Duo's Comet erases the Earth of thirty years ago… What would happen to us?" Netto asked.

"We would vanish along with the history of those 30 years which would not happen in the future…"

Everyone looked uneasy.

"Duo pretends to erase Earth's Network civilization from thirty years ago. He's returning everything to _zero_."

"It can't be! Whoa!" Netto yelled.

The area suddenly shook.

"What the heck is this tremor…?" Laika wondered.

Several "Dimensional Converters" popped out.

"A "Dimensional Area", you say?"

"Whoa!"

The black pillar of light formed there and Twilight appeared in the room: he formed a smug smile.

"Heh."

"Twilight!" Yuuichirou yelled.

"What have you come to do, Yami?" Netto demanded.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh! I need this system, my _half-brothers_! The resurrection of my "Demon Tribe" is about to happen! I've already booked you two a place in one of the countless living Hells which shall be created!" Twilight exclaimed with obvious eagerness.

"What did you say?" Yuuichirou demanded.

"Heh, heh, heh! Let fear consume your mind and souls! Your flesh and bodies shall serve the Demon Tribe forever! Contemplate!"

He clenched his right hand and a beam of white blinding light was shot from it when he opened it again: it hit everyone and they fell into the floor since the light reflected around a barrier and blinded the whole area.

_Otouto!_

Umbra and more jelly fighters showed up around the rim of the "Past Tunnel": he had an eager glare to him

_I will acquire Duo's power. For my own sake._

Twilight kept on blinding them with that beam of light.

"Heh, heh, heh! This is a piece of my power as the Demon King! I can see them… The flames of Hell are resurrecting and they shall incinerate this worthless world!" Twilight laughed.

"Y-you're still… seeking such a petty thing!" Enzan managed to mutter.

"Hah! Duo is just a useless program! Once I get my hands on his technology… I shall annihilate him and that smug-faced servant!"

At the same moment 20 years ago, within the Ameroupe Desert, Barrel was standing in front of a device which was a small metallic grey column with four rectangular holes: two torches shone on either side of it and it was making some sounds and Barrel's car was parked close by too.

"Plug In! Colonel, Transmission!"

Colonel appeared inside of the "Past Tunnel" and dived downwards.

"To Duo's Comet we go! Today shall be the Demon Tribe's Victory Day, engraved forever in the Earth's History!" Twilight exclaimed.

He banged the control panel with his right hand and the "Past Tunnel" opened: Umbra and the jelly fighters dived into the tunnel.

_Save that stupid speech. You just want that power to rule over the Earth and you're having Umbra – kun be cannon fodder and recon. You hope that he'll be deleted, even. You psycho! _

Colonel was flying upwards when he eyed some sparkling objects, so he took out his sword.

"Heh." Umbra smiled.

Colonel slashed and cut several of the jelly fighters: the "Dimensional Area" faded and Twilight grinned.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Farewell! My _half-brothers_!" Twilight announced before he fled.

"Twilight…!" Yuuichirou hissed.

"We'll boycott Yami's ambition!" Rock Man announced.

"Please send us to the past, Enzan – sama!" Blues requested.

"Laika – sama! Sortie swap!" Search Man rallied.

They all nodded and Meijin examined a screen.

"Umbra is crossing the "Past Tunnel" and progressing towards the past!"

"Hell! Duo's power will become Umbra's like this!" Netto cursed.

_Otouto! We'll go!_

_Saito – niisan…_

The three Navis stood on standby on the tunnel's entrance as Colonel's chest emblem appeared and he came out of it.

"Colonel!" Rock Man greeted.

Barrel appeared on a screen.

"Ah! Barrel – san!" Netto greeted.

"Barrel Tai – sa! Where are you right now?" Dr. Hikari was surprised.

"I am using the "Past Tunnel" to uplink from the past. Hikari – hakase. Let's skip the speeches." He replied.

"Papa!"

"I understand. I'm counting on you guys!"

The four Navis appeared inside of the "Past Tunnel" and they did not notice an invisible shape following them: Freeze Man inside of his protective diamond shell.

_Hell! As if Slur wasn't enough of an obstacle, Umbra can become powerful beyond our calculations! Let's hope they can stop it! _

The group of four began to be attacked by the jelly fighters.

"An ambush…!" Enzan exclaimed while eyeing a screen.

"Fire!" Search Man aimed and shot.

"Scram, scram and scram! Hra~!" Blues drew his sword and disposed of some of them.

"Hra~h!" Colonel also dispatched them with ease.

"Don't get in the way!" Rock Man shot at them as well.

"Umbra's crossed the "Past Tunnel". He's arrived to a Cyber World of thirty years ago!" A technician reported.

"Hell! The guy has broken into Duo's Comet Cyber World!" Meijin hissed as he banged the console with both hands.

"Hurry up, niisan!"

"Duo's Comet…"

The spacecraft's "Crest" changed to a blue color and a white blinding surrounded them before they entered what looked like outer space: images of galaxies and other stellar objects floated around the area: their shadows were longer and of a reddish color.

_Creepy enough... And Duo must know we're here but I doubt he's made to move too much. This thing is 200 meters tall. He'll rather send Slur but maybe he's saving them up as a defense line or something. _Freeze Man looked around.

_Where's Umbra – kun at? _

"This is Duo's Comet Cyber World. It's almost like outer space." Search Man commented.

"Be careful! I don't think Duo will stay quiet." Colonel commanded.

_Again… Someone's thoughts…!_

Rock Man had experienced that same feeling as before and it hit him.

"Umbra!"

Umbra was flying around the area escorted by some of the jelly fighters.

_There's no mistaking it. My heart and Umbra's are synchronizing…_

They dodged some beams shot from further inside.

"Rock Buster!"

"What… are those?" Netto asked.

"Duo's Guard System…!" Dr. Hikari realized.

Some plasma spheroids flew towards them.

"Shoot!"

Blues and Colonel slashed the others.

"Devils! There's no end to 'em!" Netto cursed.

"We can't get stuck here! If we don't hurry and stop Umbra…!" Laika hissed.

"Colonel will draw them out. Send the others forward!" Barrel announced.

"Screen Divide! Go! Saito!"

"Where's Umbra? Where is he at?" Search Man muttered.

"These thoughts flowing into me… I know it!"

He charged up the Rock Buster and shot the attack forward: Umbra noticed the attack and turned as several of the jelly fighters were destroyed by its power.

"What?" He gasped.

He eyed the others flowing towards him.

"Saito!"

"Battle Chip, Variable Sword! Slot In!"

Blues cut a jelly fighter but it regenerated.

"What?" Blues uttered.

"Battle Chip, Triple Bomb! Slot In!"

Search Man threw three triple-package bombs but he didn't fare better than Blues.

"Saito. Leave the rubbish to us." Search Man told him.

"You go after Umbra." Blues added.

"I get it!"

Saito shot his Rock Buster forward but Umbra moved very quickly, vanishing and reappearing while drawing closer.

"Saito! Battle Chip, Dark Sword!"

"An Independent Model Navi…! Umbra can load Chips to himself?" Laika was baffled.

"That doesn't matter! Battle Chip, Custom Sword! Slot In!"

They clashed blades.

"Get out of my way, Saito!"

"It's not like I'll let you!"

Saito felt the connection again.

"I'll acquire Duo's power! If I do, I shall…! I shall…!"

The connection activated again, and this time, he connected with a memory.

"_Twilight – sama. Why do people seek bonds?"_

"_Bonds? Ah. I thought as much. You've been thinking about it." Twilight had looked like he'd been expecting it._

"_Like how the Hikari twins are tied together by friendship…"_

"_So! You wanna be their companion? Don't they hate you?" Twilight had folded his arms and looked unimpressed._

"_No, sir… It's not that, sir…"_

"_That's cheap stuff."_

_Umbra had gasped and looked up._

"… _However…! When you are alone and faced with certain death… Then you must draw out your own power to survive…! That's the rule of this world…! Weak ones die! Strong ones evolve!" _

_He'd taken a step forward and now looked dangerous._

"_If you get Duo's power then you shall become one of the "Demon Tribe": the world's rulers! Not even a NASA-made alien Net Navi can stop you! Listen! You swore loyalty to me. Do not try to override it. I know K. S. has been contacting you. He is weak. You will obey me or die. Understand?" _

"_Yes, sir…" Umbra had acknowledged._

Returning to the present, Rock Man was frozen in place.

"Umbra…! You're…!"

"I'll… I'll become the Supreme Navi!"

He pushed him away.

_Custom Bolt… _Umbra thought.

"Battle Chip, Custom Bolt! Slot In!"

"I thought as much. Lightning Rod!"

A lightning rod appeared.

"Custom Bolt!"

The lighting rod absorbed the attack and returned it to the source.

"Ah! Niisan!"

"Dark Wide!"

"Battle Chip, Dream Aura!"

"Super North-Wind!"

"A Super North-Wind, you say?"

The spirals of wind cut through the Dream Aura.

"Hmpf!"

Umbra shot the Dark Wide and it hit Rock Man fully.

"Hakase! What's this…?" Meijin asked.

"He's reading Netto's Operating… Umbra can read the next attack and properly counter it!" Dr. Hikari exclaimed.

"What did you say?" Netto yelled.

"I was born from Saito so I know everything about his otouto. And his battle pattern, too."

"Know everything about me, the guy says…" Netto muttered.

_Well. That's true. But calling me "weak"… Che! As long as Cousin's alive there'll be no way to allow Umbra – kun to become free and try to seek bonds… Unless we can find a way to help him break free…! _

"It couldn't be… Umbra doesn't simply have Saito's abilities but Netto's as well?" Dr. Hikari realized.

Twilight was hidden in a corner of the space and looking on while smiling.

"Heh, heh, heh! By drawing power from his hate and his envy… The _Dark Side_ in Umbra is extremely powerful! He'd do a good Sith apprentice, even! An apprentice… to Darth Twilight! Bwah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Twilight laughed.

_Oh come on! Not _Star Wars _jokes. You watched Episode III when it came out back in May? No wonder. You're trying to make of Umbra – kun a new Sith? How ruthless of you! Stealing youth's future…!_

"Dark Meteor!"

Various blue objects bombarded Rock Man: Blues and Search Man were still dealing with the jelly things and Blues gasped.

"Saito!" Search Man sounded concerned.

"Saito – niisan!"

"Dark Sword. The final blow!"

He jumped towards Rock Man and Netto seemed to be hesitating while Umbra was coming close: Netto took a resolve.

"Battle Chip! Shirahadori!"

"Shirahadori?"

Umbra was stunned as Rock Man stopped the sword with both hands.

"We won't lose to the likes of you!" Saito declared.

He pushed him away and Umbra looked taken aback.

"Otouto! Give me a Battle Chip!"

"But, niisan…"

"It's okay! If it's us then we can do it!"

"I get it!"

"Don't prattle! Dark Drill!"

"Battle Chip!"

"Barrier, I guess." Umbra muttered.

"Drill Arm, Area Steal, Holy Dream! Triple Slot In!" Both twins announced in a simultaneous manner.

The two drill arms clashed and Rock Man moved out of the way to Umbra's surprise.

"Area Steal!"

He warped elsewhere.

"What?" Umbra gasped.

Umbra landed on the ground.

"I… Impossible! Why? Why couldn't I read the attack?"

"You can't understand that, either?"

Rock Man appeared behind him and took out the Holy Dream cannon.

"It's not just one or two… You can even become like twelve or a hundred with the power of friendship!"

Umbra slowly stood up.

"Otouto and I, too… One's power has its limitations. But! When we confide in each other and combine by holding a powerful bond then we can…!"

Umbra turned around with his Rock Buster.

"We can create infinite power!"

Saito shot the attack and hit Umbra fully thus causing an explosion.

"Niisan!"

"Did that do it?" Enzan wondered.

_I doubt it._

Part of the space broke away thus revealing a hole.

"That's…!" Rock Man exclaimed.

"A shield which has been ruined… There's more Cyber World deeper inside!" Blues noticed.

Search Man looked near the entrance and gasped: Umbra was crouching there while grabbing his right arm and smiling.

"Heh…"

"Umbra!"

Umbra jumped into the hole and entered the core of the comet: various stream of energy travelled on defined paths and there were orbit-like pathways set around the area as well.

"Heh. Bonds create infinite power? In that case… I'll become a great infinite being myself!"

He headed towards the planetoid-shaped core.

"Ah!" Rock Man gasped upon seeing the core.

"The Comet's management system will… become mine!" He proclaimed.

_And then Cousin will take it from you._

Umbra landed on top of the sphere near a rainbow – colored column spanning upwards: his chest emblem shone and the thirteen "Duo's Crests" came out from there.

"…"Duo's Crests"…!" Rock Man gasped.

The core flashed and the energy pushed them backwards: Umbra closed his eyes from the feeling.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH, HAH!" He laughed.

Duo's Comet's shone with an even brighter blue as some lines around it ignited and began to shake.

"…"Duo's Crests" are… controlling the Comet?" Dr. Hikari gasped.

The three "Net Savior" Navis had to keep their distance from the core.

"I'll become the Supreme Navi by consuming Duo's power! I don't need any bonds… Any bonds…" Umbra smiled and looked confident while closing his eyes.

SLASH!

"UGH!"

A familiar sword had pierced his chest: he grimaced but then began to look afraid and someone appeared behind Umbra: Slur.

"What a pity. When the goal was in front of your eyes…"

Umbra fell into the ground as Slur took out the blade and stood there.

"This is not a place for the likes of you to come at."

_Oh heck. I forgot about them! _"K. S." hissed.

_Che! I knew it! Slur wouldn't let them trespass that edge. _Freeze Man cursed.

The light dimmed and the "Net Saviors" gasped.

"Slur!"

"If you say that you will keep on getting on Duo's way then… I shall not allow you."

She shone with a menacing aura and the three of them gasped.

"Battle Chip… Salamander!"

A stream of flames surrounded Slur, who was unfazed: a hand leant on her right shoulder and Umbra gripped her.

"Futile. You are powerless." She announced while being unimpressed.

"W-wonder 'bout that…" Umbra muttered.

"Umbra…" Saito muttered.

Umbra looked at Saito.

"Hmpf."

"Umbra…"

Saito closed his eyes and looked at his pals.

"Let's get outta 'ere." He instructed.

The other two nodded and flew out while Saito clenched a fist.

"UWA~H!" Umbra opened his eyes wide and roared.

The stream of flames expanded and an explosion came out of the hole while Duo's Comet kept on shining.

"Hum… That woman is starting to become an eyesore. Whatever. I'll bring upon a proxy to keep her busy next time." Twilight muttered.

He became invisible and quickly fled the area before anyone could notice him: the "Past Tunnel" was still running as evidenced by the beam of light shooting skywards.

"… "Duo's Crests"… They were the keys to manage Duo's Comet!" Dr. Hikari grasped.

"If we'd tried to manage that then Duo would've…!" Netto gasped.

The three Navis went back while still followed by the invisible Freeze Man: Saito closed his eyes.

"_Return, Saito. To Netto – kun's side…"_

Saito noticed a sparkling purple dust floating around him.

_Are those… Umbra's remains? So he tried to blow himself up to harm Slur but failed… In the end… Maybe he wasn't really "evil" and Twilight just turned him into that through extortion… _Freeze Man reflected.

_Umbra – kun… At the very end you decided on your own and dared to stand up to Cousin…! I'll commend you. If only I knew how to rebuild you, then… _"K. S." took out his sunglasses and sighed with obvious sadness on his face.

"Umbra… Return inside of me… This way… We'll always be together with Netto – kun…" Saito muttered.

The dust entered his chest emblem.

"Duo…" Saito muttered next.

He flew towards the origin of the "Past Tunnel" next.

"… Shuryou. Umbra's deceased yet… In the end… It'd seem that he defied Twilight by choosing his own end…"

"… I suspected as much… Umbra was just being filled with "evil" by Twilight, but had he left been unchecked… He'd just tried to form a pact or truce…" Gospel muttered.

"Maybe the climatic point of these events is upon us?"

"I wouldn't be surprised. However… Remain close to them. Maybe there's still a way to avoid the Earth's destruction…"

"Roger. I am heading back. Over."

_Umbra… Wasn't it for Twilight he could've become a nice guy even despite him being a copy… Hell to you! Twilight! Die trying to defy Duo and everyone will rejoice…! I'll tackle Slur soon… The end is close by!_


	28. Chapter 27: Colonel Barrel

**Chapter 27: Colonel Barrel**

11:57 AM (Utah Time), Tuesday November the 10th…

"… Duo's Comet has now started its countdown. We've issued a recalling of the "Cross Fusion" members who are fighting "Asteroids" all over the globe. They should arrive within ten hours."

Dr. Hikari was talking with Netto and Enzan.

"I wonder if that Tesla is going to docily come... Charlie said: "Leave it to me", but…" Netto muttered.

"The problem is Barrel Tai – sa. The Tai-sa of reality is already deceased. The Barrel Tai-sa we know is kept away from us due to a twenty-year time wall obstacle. He's a human of the past." Enzan commented.

"Contact the Ameroupe Army through IPC to ask if there's any "Crest" data from Barrel Tai – sa left."

"If don't gather all of the thirteen "Crests" owners, we cannot access Duo's Comet, then?" Netto asked.

"If that moment comes… Earth will, according to Duo's judgment… be annihilated…"

"… This day has finally come… Barrel Tai – sa."

Some flowers had been left in front of Barrel's grave and Wily was standing in front of the grave.

"You waited for its coming… Like we'd agreed on. Heh, heh." He announced

"… The future of the Earth is committed within you two "Duo's Crest" owners." Commissioner Kifune was telling Rokushadama and Meiru.

They were standing next to a chopper in the Net Police's HQ roof: Meijin was also present.

"Please, Meiru – chan. Do your best, Nenji – kun." Manabe requested.

"Can we really save Earth?" Rokushadama seemed overwhelmed.

"I feel like there's no time left at all…" Meiru muttered.

"Ua~h!"

Dekao began to sob and Chisao tried to reassure him.

"Ni... niichan!"

"I'm so sorry, Meiru – chan! I couldn't buy something for you! But why didn't that Duo jerk give me a "Crest" as well?" He kept on sobbing.

Chisao sighed and walked towards them.

"Meiru – chan! Take this."

Chisao handed her a bag with some takeaway food from Maha Ichiban's inside.

"Meiru – chan! I'm sorry…" Dekao was uttering in the background.

"Maha Ichiban's take-away curry cans! Chu! Keep them! Chu!"

The bag had several cans of curry inside.

"_Arigatou_, Chisao – kun!"

"Send my greetings to Netto, chu!"

"Yeah."

The chopper started up.

"We should depart by now. You two: please climb into the helicopter."

"Yes, sir!" Both replied.

"Meijin – san… You will tell me if something were to happen to Meiru - chan?" Dekao looked up to him.

"Dekao – kun!"

"Huh?"

"_San wa iranai_!" He smiled.

"I know even if ya hadn't said that!"

The chopper flew away and Chisao waved a hand.

"Good luck!"

"Meiru – cha~n!" Dekao yelled.

"…Then, as I thought… Oozono Yuriko came to this place?"

Misaki was speaking with Mariko inside her apartment.

"About half an hour ago... She brought a meal for this kitty, too. And she also requested of me to hand to you this letter." She placed a closed envelope on top of the table.

"Letter?" Misaki asked.

"Heh, heh." Mariko smiled.

"_Detective Misaki. If the Earth were to be safe and I can come back alive, then… I would like to atone for all my crimes I committed against the Net Police at that time." _The letter stated.

Yuriko met up with Dark Miyabi on a park.

"Sorry for the holdup." She announced.

"You've come? So you're ready." He guessed.

"Yeah." She confirmed.

"Then, let's get moving… To Hikari Netto's side." He announced as he opened his eyes.

"… You're going?" Dingo's friend, Shanka, asked him.

"My companions are waiting for me, ya see." Dingo announced.

"Yeah…"

"Don't worry, Shanka! I'll fight for future and this village! To protect you, Shanka."

"Come back alright, Dingo."

"Yeah! Let's promise to Totem – sama!"

They hit each other's tomahawks and they made a metallic sound.

"Grandfather is able to see our… No. The Earth's future?"

Jasmine was talking with her grandfather (Cardamon) inside of his Choina manor.

"With your foreseeing abilities…"

"…Be at ease, Jasmine. You can't know more than needed about the future. Even if you knew… It be but one of the potential futures."

Jasmine eyed her reflection on the tea placed within a pot.

"A potential future…?"

"I mean to say… There isn't just "one" future. Humans have the power to carve out the future. That'd be the power to change despair into hope. Do you get what I mean?"

"Yeah! Thank you, Grandpa!" Jasmine nodded

"Oh! My! Looks like it's itching... Oh my! A dispatch!" He looked his at right arm.

The Net Police chopper flew away.

"Go! To the grounds where the ones who will guide the planet towards the future are at…!" Cardamon called out.

"… Hurry it up, Tesla! We must hurry or we won't make it on time!"

"…"Go"? Where to…?"

"Ameroupe! How many times I've gotta say it?" Airstar sighed.

Gauss walked past them with the vacuum cleaner.

"But Father is unimpressed! Both of them are still pre-marriage!"

"That's not the problem!"

Airstar looked towards the direction Gauss had gone towards.

"And what does he mean by "marriage"?" He questioned.

"Dunno! Umbra's already gone!" Tesla shrugged.

"How carefree…! The Earth is gonna be annihilated!"

"As I thought: they oppose Father!" Gauss muttered aloud as he crossed the room in the opposite direction.

"That's why I say you're wrong!" He protested.

Tesla shrugged and suddenly clasped her hands: she seemed to have gotten an idea.

"That's right! I gotta eat a high-class specially made _bento_ before Earth's annihilated!" She announced.

"Tesla…!" He hissed.

"Father! I have an order."

Gauss turned off the vacuum cleaner and ran towards her while cleaning his hands in the apron.

"Go ahead, Tesla."

"Huh! Behave yourself! Quietly come along me! Tesla!" He suddenly picked her bridal style.

"Ah… Yeah!"

He ran away with her on his arms.

"Oh! This looks promising!" Gauss smiled.

He exited to the roof to wave good-bye at the chopper.

"Have fun…!"

"… Princess Pride."

Pride had been looking outside of the chopper through the window when Laika requested her attention.

"I have just received a call from Enzan."

"Barrel Tai-sa's "Crest" research, right?" She asked.

"Unfortunately… It'd seem the Ameroupe Army had no copy of that data."

"Is that so…" She sounded down.

"Enzan and Netto are headed to Barrel Tai – sa's mansion in order to try to find any leads." Laika announced.

Salt Lake City had signs of a fight due to the "Asteroid" invasion.

"It'd seem that the Army left Tai – sa's apartment untouched ever since he passed away."

Netto was looking out into the landscape.

"It'd be fine if there were any leads regarding the "Crest"…" Netto muttered.

An explosion happened near the right wheel and the driver hit his head with the steering wheel: he was knocked out.

_What? More "Asteroids"! _"K. S." gasped.

The limo skidded from left to right and vice versa, out of control.

"Drive, Blues!" Enzan commanded as he plugged him in.

Another explosion, this time on the left side, was barely dodged: a third one happened on the right side almost immediately while the culprits came into sight: they were the "Asteroids" Bomber Man, Sword Man and Spark Man.

"The "Asteroids"!" Netto exclaimed.

"Don't mind them and drive through! We don't have time to deal with the grunts!" Enzan ordered Blues.

"Understood, Enzan – sama."

The limo skillfully dodged them and it passed near a fuel tank truck: Netto lowered the window and looked outside.

"Niisan! Use that!"

"Leave it to me, otouto!"

Netto plugged him in: Bomber Man threw another bomb towards the limo and it exploded on the left side while the truck moved to cover the limo's back.

_Good thinking!_

The explosion detonated it and the shockwave took care of the "Asteroids": Saito reappeared inside of the PET.

"I'm home!"

"_Thank you_, niisan!"

The two of them reached the apartment building and stood in front of the apartment's door.

"It's this room, huh…" Netto commented.

"… Oh…!" Enzan muttered.

"What's wrong?" Netto asked.

Some low – tuned music could be heard and the door was badly closed: Enzan took out his PET.

"Blues!"

"Enzan – sama. There is a living signature inside of the room." Blues reported.

"What?"

They walked in to find someone sitting on an armchair.

"Who…? It couldn't be… He's Barrel Tai – sa?" Netto asked.

"Impossible! We are the "Net Saviors"!" Enzan announced.

He walked towards the person.

"What are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Sshh…"

The man raised a finger, asking for silence.

"Barrel Tai – sa's most appreciated memory… He's rotting by now… Heh, heh… He and this have twenty years!" He muttered.

"You're…!" Enzan began.

"I've been waiting. Hikari Netto, Ijuuin Enzan."

The man stood up and turned around.

"Dr. Wily!" Netto exclaimed.

_Why did he come here? Does he have a hint?_

"Heh, heh, heh… Twenty years ago… I cooperated with the Ameroupe Army's ground troops' developments then…"

_A military base had been built in the middle of the rocky plains: it was nighttime: Barrel had been driving his "buggy" when he collided with Duo's light._

"Barrel Tai-sa was said to have been granted a mysterious light one day."

"_I shall grant you "Duo's Crest"..."_

_Beams of light had travelled across the world after Netto and Enzan were granted with them and one of them had travelled across the "Past Tunnel" as well so Barrel had found the "Crest" engraved on his right hand's palm once he awakened._

"Correct… The light which was emitted by Duo and then granted the "Crests"… It travelled across the world. Whether for coincidence or for Duo's will, they were granted. One crossed over the "Past Tunnel" and overcame Time – Space… And he chose Barrel Tai – sa of 20 years ago… A few days before the day in which Duo became his Earth Erasure… I was reunited again with Barrel Tai – sa after over 20 years… In this room."

_Two Ameroupe Army soldiers had been grabbing him arm by arm._

"_Let go your hands off me!"_ _He'd growled._

"_Good work." A man sitting on a wheel chair and giving him the back announced. _

_The soldiers had saluted and left. _

"_Heh. What does the Ameroupe Army want out of me by now?" Wily had wondered aloud as he had shaken the dust off his coat._

"_As I thought…"_ _The man had commented._

"_Huh?" Wily had looked up._

"_Duo's Earth Erasure has begun. I was one of the persons which were granted Duo's trial as well."_

_The person in the wheel chair had turned._

"_Barrel… Tai-sa…?" Wily had asked._

"_I need your collaboration… Dr. Wily." He'd smiled._

"By Tai-sa's request… I developed the "Time-Space Saver" device to allow to Plug – In into the "Past Tunnel" and so allow Colonel to move across the "Time-Space"…"

_Ah! So that's why Colonel shows up like that? _"K. S." wondered.

_Intriguing. _Freeze Man looked intrigued.

"… "Time – Space Saver"…?" Netto asked.

_So that's why Colonel always comes out of those tunnels!_ Saito realized.

"It was designed to allow Colonel to be an emissary and allow him to take part into this age's battles, you see." He explained.

"Tai – sa transferred the data of the "Time-Space Saver" to his 20 years ago self?"

"Correct. Along with the data of this new-model PET…"

He took out Barrel's PET and threw it to Netto, who caught it: he spotted that it had a large crack towards the right side, next to the controls.

"Barrel – san's…" Netto muttered.

_His past self cracked it when the Spectrum Incident… _

"That's a vital PET which will be vital for the Earth's fate. Make sure to hold into it." Wily warned.

"Deciding Earth's fate…"

"You'll understand it quite soon."

"By the way… About Barrel Tai – sa…" Enzan began.

"Hum?" Wily looked intrigued.

"Why did he age in abnormal way across the years? What happened to Tai – sa?"

"Tell us if you know, Wily!" Netto demanded.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh… Barrel Tai – sa was never the type to let out too much… He didn't get to talk about his surveillance of the future… But he said that it was dangerous for humans of the past to know about the future… However… This much is certain."

He turned around and opened a window.

"Barrel Tai-sa will definitely come!"

"What?" Both "Net Saviors" were surprised.

"He'll cross the Time-Space and come into _our_ "present"!" He announced with a smile.

He jumped out of the window and into the street.

"WILY!"

His specially modified robot chart rose.

"Don't forget the PET!"

He flew into the horizon.

"WILY~!" Netto yelled.

_What was that about? _"K. S." wondered.

_Something reeks… _Freeze Man thought.

A chopper flied over the ocean twenty years ago.

"The Time - Space distortions which were triggered before… They were a coincidental remain of the "Spectrum" experiment. We hope we can limit those this time around, though."

A younger Wily was travelling with Barrel.

"If your body is decomposed into cybernetic data… You could end up roaming the endless Time - Space expanses forever for all you know! You want to repeat that danger once again?" Wily warned.

"I'm ready for danger. The future is waiting for me."

"Heh! You're one odd man. Like that invisible "Crest" engraved within your hand's palm… Just who are you?" Wily asked while being unimpressed.

"I'm the immortal Barrel." Barrel smiled.

"Barrel Tai – sa. We will soon arrive into the destination building." Colonel reported.

The "Spectrum" facility came into view: the chopper entered the volcano – shaped structure and landed inside.

"The Army wants to close this base. They've scheduled to abandon it along with the "Wily Program" I developed in about one week's time… Alright."

They entered the main room and Wily checked various switches: he then activated the systems and booted it up.

"It's starting in a normal manner."

Night had fallen around the Time-Space Tower in the present.

"Hikari – hakase. We have a transmission from Barrel Tai – sa." Meijin reported.

"Barrel – san!" Netto greeted him.

"Hikari – hakase. I'll cross the "Past Tunnel" and jump to the future via a time warp." He went straight to the point.

"Time warp…?" Enzan asked.

"Please collect my data in the Time – Space Tower to wrap up."

"Wait a minute, Barrel Tai – sa. Travelling the "Past Tunnel" is impossible expect for Net Navis or cybernetic data. For a human like you it'd be…" Dr. Hikari pointed out.

"I know that. That's why I shall be using the Ameroupe Army's "Spectrum"."

"Did you say "Spectrum"?" Netto asked.

"What's that "Spectrum"?" Nenji asked.

"_Kounshinryou_?" Dingo suggested.

"It's spelled "spice"!" Jasmine corrected.

"It's a revolutionary future-model Network system developed together by Netto – kun's grandpa, Hikari Tadashi – hakase, and Dr. Wily."

"THE thing which Twilight abused of it time ago and which turned the surface into cybernetic data…" Laika muttered.

"I see. Tai – sa plans on using "Spectrum" to transform his own body into cybernetic data, then!" Meijin realized.

"Are you being serious, Barrel – san?" Netto asked.

"Netto – kun. Your courage has gathered the twelve "Duo's Crest" owning- companions. Now it's my turn."

"But, Tai – sa… But even if… You can transform your body into cybernetic data… You need some kind of beacon for the time warp to succeed."

"A beacon…?" Netto asked.

"… Some time ago "Spectrum" made past and present Time – Space resonate… And wrapped over both of the Time – Space… If we had something which could resonate too by now…" He explained.

"There is! Tai – sa's PET!" Enzan exclaimed.

"I see! This is it Papa! That Wily jerk gave it to me."

He held it out for Yuuichirou to look at.

"Wily?" His father frowned.

"He said it was a vital PET which could affect the Earth's fate!"

"Hum. I see."

Yuuichirou picked it up and eyed it while looking like he knew Wily was right.

"Hakase." Barrel called out.

"I understand, Tai – sa. Let us cooperate."

The "Asteroids" kept popping out in Ameroupe but the Net Police enclosed them in "Dimensional Areas" and used the "Battle Chip Gate" to deal with them: Hunter led the offensive.

"Battle Chip, Meteors! Slot In!"

The attack blasted some "Asteroids" and the "Dimensional Area" faded.

"We need backup in the 3rd block!" A policeman reported.

"Devils! There's no end to them!" Hunter complained.

Some "Dimensional Converters" popped out in a street and a smaller "Dimensional Area" formed: Twilight materialized inside, looking in a good mood and having his arms folded.

_Aha-hah! I've been keeping an eye on Tower but I was expecting you to show up… Why here, in the midst of the city, anyway?_

Bomber Man tried to throw a bomb but it didn't work against the "Dimensional Area".

"Heh, heh, heh. Futile. My Boundary is impossible to destroy." He announced.

Twilight looked around to ensure nobody was looking: he made a smirk and looked up to something.

"You will become Demon Tribe Soldiers."

A burst of light engulfed the block: Hunter turned the corner and shielded his eyes from the light: he found the street deserted when it faded away, to his surprise.

"They vanished… What was that light?" He wondered.

The "Spectrum" tower engaged in the past: Wily eyed it from inside a control room.

"The preparations are going fine, Tai – sa." He announced.

Four rectangular data screens popped out around Barrel while the PET had been linked to the Time - Space Tower's control system.

"Preparations: completed." Meijin announced.

"… Please begin." Barrel commanded.

"Spectrum… Activate!"

Barrel's body flashed with a multicolor aura: the top of the tower let out a light beam which shot skywards.

"Time - Space Tower: Activate."

"Time - Space Tower: Activate!" Meijin confirmed the order.

Barrel's body became blue and transparent as he started to dissolve: a multi – colored stream of light travelled through "the Past Tunnel" and a monitor informed that Barrel was on his way: Airstar entered while carrying Tesla on his arms.

"Hiya! We're rather late!"

The alarms went off.

"Huh?"

Everyone turned at them with suspicious faces like if they had done something to trigger them.

"Huh… Huh?" Tesla wondered.

"Huh… Huh?"

Both of them blinked in surprise.

"Hakase! Several "Asteroids" have appeared in the Time Space Tower's perimeter!" Laika exclaimed after eyeing a screen.

"What?"

Files of multiplied "Asteroids" advanced across the crater.

_So it's a distraction, eh, Cousin? But let's get ready to move: I know where your REAL BODY is going to be at. Not like I'm going to be fooled by a MERE BUNSHIN which you sent to try to get that power._

"K. S." quickly picked the equipment, placed it into an attaché case, and interacted with his PET III: a "Dimensional Converter" emerged.

"Destination… Moon Base! Warp!"

A "Dimensional Area" activated and Netto ran outside in the meanwhile.

"It looks like we made it on time!" Someone announced.

Netto turned around and looked towards the top of the building.

"It's time to execute our duties!"

Miyabi and Yuriko were both on top of the control center.

"Yuriko! Dark Miyabi! We will protect the Time Space Tower!"

"YEAH!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!" Twelve persons exclaimed.

They all rushed forward to defend the facility: Wily was standing nearby and watching it all.

"… I'll capture Tai – sa's data!"

"Good! Center on it!" Dr. Hikari commanded.

_Yes! Capture it and thus we'll have gathered the last companion… And we'll able to delete these!_

Meijin amplified the globe with the heading "The Present" and clicked on the arrow which signaled the data: the PET began to frizzle and the arrow began to move around in a wild manner while the cross let go of it.

"Hell! I can't fix on the data!"

"Don't lose it, Meijin!"

Barrel's form was materializing and dematerializing while he yelled in pain: the beam of light flickered.

"TAI – SA~!" Wily gasped.

"… Samurai Sword!"

"Roll Arrow!"

"Variable Sword!"

"Scope Gun!"

"Mag Ball!"

"Tornado Arm!"

"Royal Wrecking Ball!"

"Needle Cannon!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"Tomahawk Swing!"

"Fire Bomb!"

"Meddy Capsule!"

The attacks blew up large chunks of "Asteroids" with relative ease and they kept on fighting them: Barrel's data kept frizzling while Wily was typing with his hands into some screens which displayed red streams of data.

"Tai – sa's body won't hold on if it worsens!"

"… I'm capturing the data!" Meijin shouted.

"Fix on the data!" Yuuichirou ordered.

"Fixed!" Meijin confirmed.

"Finish it!"

The data was captured: the PET disconnected and transformed into data while Barrel vanished and "Spectrum" was disengaged.

_Did we do it?_

A beam of light erupted from the Time Space Tower and it transformed into a white column as the data streams joined and reformed: Barrel appeared close to the base of the tower while panting heavily.

"Barrel Tai – sa." Someone called out.

Wily walked towards him from the obscurity.

"I have been waiting." He announced.

"Dr. Wily…?" Barrel gasped.

"Catch it!" Wily exclaimed.

Wily tossed him a "Synchro Chip" and Barrel looked resolved.

"Battle, Tai – sa! With "Cross Fusion"!" Wily rallied.

"You have my gratitude, Doctor!" Barrel smiled.

Dr. Hikari and Meijin looked defeated but an audio channel opened.

"It's a success! Hikari – hakase." Barrel's voice announced.

"Tai – sa!" Yuuichirou exclaimed.

Barral appeared on top of a ledge and eyed the "Cross Fusion" members who were holding the "Asteroids" at bay.

"Netto – kun!" He called out.

"Barrel – san!"

"Barrel Tai – sa!" "CF" Blues was surprised.

"Heh! Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

A stream of blue light quickly moved around and "CF" Barrel appeared.

Over 90% of his form was unchanged from Colonel's one but his shoulder armor was wider and formed a diamond with two "wings" extending from it thus fully protecting the shoulders from attacks coming sideways.

The skirt design had gained a new patch of white armor with gray edges over the hips of the legs as if to reinforce them and two of those yellow shapes on the lower edge were gone too.

His overall height, shape, helmet design, armor design, arms' armor and legs' armor were unchanged.

The "Asteroids" he'd blasted while moving forwards exploded.

"Screen Divide!" He destroyed some more with one attack.

"Incredible…" "CF" Netto was baffled.

"… Even if you have by now gathered the companions… The countdown to Earth's annihilation has already begun."

Slur, who was inside of the "Past Tunnel" and eyeing the battle, heard a noise as part of the wall broke and Forte landed in: he grimace.

_Forte! I hadn't seen him ever since the "Spectrum Incident" day!_

"You?" She asked in a slightly amused tone.

"I've come to return the chagrin. Slur." Forte announced.

"To me…?" She glanced at him over her right shoulder with her glance hidden by her forehead.

"I'll tell you this. I've changed since the last time. You're the one who's gonna go into the Reverse Cyber World this time around!" Forte assumed a combat posture by opening the cloak.

Slur turned around while looking serious.

"How foolish."

They morphed into two spheres, one yellow and the other purple, and started to clash while Twilight was standing near the edge of the "Past Tunnel" entrance.

"… Heh! _Good timing_, Forte! Keep that bothersome woman busy. I shall go for Duo's high-technology. Humanity! My name shall soon be engraved within this worthless world! I shall be the Demon King! And I shall rule the world! Hell's Door will soon open and its Hateful Flames will burn everything on the face of the Earth! Heh, heh, heh, heh… Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

He jumped inside of the "Past Tunnel" and headed towards Duo's Comet while laughing aloud.

_Che! And since Slur won't be around… But maybe Duo will stop him if he tries to cross the edge… Oddly enough I don't see the detective around here, though… Maybe they're hiding elsewhere._

"HRA~H!"

"CF" Barrel slashed the ground and opened a crevice on it while the others kept on fighting.

_Hum! So that's how it is._

"K. S." was sitting inside of a control room in the Moon Base which Planet Man had stormed time ago and looking at the footage he was receiving from Earth: he then switched to another screen and spotted _another_ Twilight looking at a monitor.

"Hmpf… So there you were… As expected… You'd rather not risk your hide there like you almost did back when the Twilight Tower day… You _did_ escape at the last second back then… And this time around you want to make sure you won't be annihilated along with Earth and thus you came here and sent a _bunshin_ there… Like how Ganon was using the Priest Aghamin, a "bunshin" of his, in _Triforce of the Gods_…"

He tossed the coat, hat, and sunglasses and headed for the door.

_Time to settle our scores, Yoru Yami! Get ready… I won't lose to you!_


	29. Chapter 28: Towards a New Future

**Chapter 28: Towards a New Future**

23:42 PM (Utah Time), Tuesday November the 10th…

"… Super Vulcan!"

"Mugen Vulcan!"

"Dream Sword!"

"Screen Divide!"

"… Forte, you say?"

Yuuichirou turned around from looking at something else and faced Meijin.

"He's having a quarrel with Slur inside the "Past Tunnel"!" Meijin reported.

"… Hell's Rolling!"

Forte shot several rings forward but Slur gracefully dodged them

"Futile." She dully announced.

The infamous cords appeared again: Forte gasped and struggled.

"You lose this time as well." She proclaimed.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

Forte smiled and looked confident.

"I've said it! I'm different from last time!" He announced.

He broke the cords, actually surprising Slur.

_Wow! He's gained new power? Could it be…?_

"With Forte taking Slur's attention… We can access Duo's Comet without her getting in the way. Handle this spot, Meijin!"

"I understand!" Meijin confirmed.

"… Charge Shot!"

"Colonel Cannon!"

"CF" Barrel and "CF" Netto were fighting with their backs glued: their attacks destroyed the last of the "Asteroids" and the "Dimensional Area" faded.

"Barrel – san!" Netto greeted.

"I promised that we would meet again." Barrel told him.

"That's right. But… Why do you have a "Synchro Chip"?" Netto asked.

"Dr. Wily." Barrel admitted.

"Wily?"

The others walked to them.

"It'd seem he accept this era's self request."

A horn sounded nearby so they looked at the bridge and saw a jeep being driven by Dr. Hikari.

"Papa!"

"Let's converge on the Time Space Tower! Let's hurry!" He rallied.

Duo's spacecraft was shining in an intermittent way 30 years ago in the Ameroupe Desert: the core system of the comet looked energized and ready to be used.

_Hum!_

A tall cylindrical capsule was placed inside of the planetoid-shaped body: most of its body was made of glass and it had two golden-colored metallic devices attached to the top and bottom of it.

"Evolution… I can finally evolve into the Demon God!"

Twilight (or, rather, his _bunshin_) was standing at the base of it and looking at its tall and imposing shape.

"Heh. This is where Regal was turned into a Probe. Well… I'm here instead of him thanks to my calculations. Let's hurry. While Forte is keeping Slur busy…"

He faded and appeared in front of the capsule while hovering: he looked somewhat amused.

"… Hah! Duo! You lowlife are not a God. You lowlife are a mere foolish Net Navi. Thus… No-one shall stop me from becoming the world's ruler!"

Twilight held out his palms and the "Crests" came out of them: they surrounded the capsule.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah… You lowlife's Crests will be my own key to evolution!"

Twilight pressed a hand with the "Crest" and passed through the glass while causing a rippling effect as if it really was a water curtain: a device on the top of the capsule began to spin and three beams of light shot skywards.

_Well! Forte seems to be turning everything around._

Freeze Man looked on as how Slur braced herself as a punch from Forte made her recoil.

"Dark Arm Blade!"

He clashed with Slur and he was clearly in advantage: Slur was having trouble to even hold her ground.

"Just _when_ did you get such power…?" She demanded.

"I absorbed some huge remains of a bug in the Reverse Cyber World!"

A purple shape which obviously was the remains of "Nebula Grey" formed behind Forte and rose up: Slur was astonished and even more when her blade broke.

"By now I can even travel into the outer-space Cyber World. I'll gain new power. And I will do that once I defeat you!"

"Why, you…!" Slur hissed.

She transformed into the yellow sphere and jumped forward.

"Heh."

Forte transformed into his purple sphere and they started to clash in the form of stream: they collided and tried to push against each other thus causing a shockwave: Meijin gasped as he eyed the battle.

"They're going to collide with the "Past Gate"!"

The two of them violently entered the starting system device, thus causing a giant stream of light to emerge from the Time – Space Tower: all the "Crest" owners witnessed it while the machine started to shake and explode.

_You've gone berserk or what?_

Slur stood, clearly fatigued, being covered in bruises and hanging her head down inside of the "Past Tunnel" as if being resigned.

_What power!_

"GUAH!"

Forte's right fist passed through her and he appeared behind her.

"Make your favorite choice: roam around the Reverse Cyber World forever or to be deleted right now!" Forte mocked.

"SHUT UP! YOU EARTH NET NAVI!"

"Vanish."

Forte clenched her face.

"GRA~H!"

She disappeared in a shower of pixels and Forte stood there while closing his eyes: he opened them and smiled.

"If Earth makes it through in one piece then we'll meet again… Saito."

He came out of the tunnel on his own while Barrel, Meijin and Dr. Hikari were examining the damage to the "Past Tunnel" starting device.

"We've come this far and are blocked off." Miyabi commented.

_Too bad, yes. Can it be fixed? _Freeze Man wondered.

"And now that Earth's countdown to annihilation is imminent…" Yuriko cursed as well.

"And even now I feel hungry." Rokushadama commented while sitting on the ground.

"And to think I had a can of spicy curry…" Dingo sighed.

Jasmine's stomach grumbled.

"_Gomen_." She blushed.

Airstar walked towards Tesla.

"Sorry for this, Tesla. Forcing you to come along... Ah! True! Your ring. I've wanted to return it to you several times, but…"

"He~h… What an outstanding man."

"Huh?"

"That "Barrel" guy."

Airstar turned around and sighed because Tesla was always looking elsewhere: the three men came down from inspecting the machine and walked to the others.

"How was it like, Hakase?" Pride asked.

"What's the damage status?" Laika asked next.

"It'll be impossible to get it running before one day even if we started by now." Yuuichirou sighed.

"That can't be…" Meiru gasped.

"The Time – Space Stabilization Device has stopped working." Meijin detailed.

"Then… We have lost our only method to access Duo's Comet…?" Enzan muttered.

"There must be another method, Papa! Barrel – san risked his life when coming through the Time - Space!" Netto protested.

"Netto – kun…" Barrel muttered.

"Hell! Duo! You idiotic jerk…!"

Netto clenched both fists but the hand with the "Crest" shone.

"Huh? The "Crest"…?"

The same happened to the other twelve persons as the shaft suddenly illuminated.

_Whoa! What's happened?_

"Look! The "Past Gate"…!" Yuriko pointed out.

"The "Gate" is opening! The "Gate" is stabilized… And past the Tunnel there's… Duo's Comet: 30 years ago." Meijin announced while examining a nearby console.

"Let's go! To Duo's Comet we go!" Netto rallied.

"… Hmpf! I'm afraid it's a bit too late for that, _Comrades_! _Tempus Fugit_, I say!"

Something travelled at a quick speed through the "Past Tunnel" in an upwards direction.

_What's coming? But that voice…_

There was an energy burst and a being appeared.

This enemy looked about a meter and ninety tall.

He had blonde hair which was spread in a totally wild manner: his eyes' irises were colored crimson red and he had a smug smile on his face.

His body was colored in a blackish-like colored armor: he had a red diamond set on the chest and white patterns around his body's torso, legs, and arms: some diamond-shaped white shapes were drawn over several spots on his body too.

He also held two black-colored slightly curved swords on both hands.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

"Is that… Mr. Yami?" Yuriko was astonished.

"Yami! You lowlife!" Netto yelled.

"How is it? Can you witness it? My form as the Demon God! I have stopped Earth Erasure with this absolute power! I shall now rule the whole of the world!" He announced while his voice boomed out and echoed all around the room.

"You stopped it!" Airstar was baffled.

"What do you mean?" Laika demanded.

"Ain't that obvious? I used the 13 "Crests" you guys held!" Twilight exclaimed.

"The "Crests", did you say?" Laika asked.

"It couldn't be… He's using Duo's Comet?" Enzan guessed.

"Yeah! That stupid machine is now mine. I have evolved into the Demon God! You guys are powerless in front of me. You'd better give it up. I control technology far beyond your imagination!" Twilight announced.

His form was being displayed inside of that capsule he'd entered a while before: he spoke and his form in the present spoke at the same time he did in the past.

_Well. For Demon God, you look more like a lesser being… But whatever: you're abusing of Duo's technology! _Freeze Man grumbled.

"You plan on using that power to bring harm to the Earth!" Yuriko scowled.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Yeah! No – one shall stop me! My _half – brothers_! I am the "Dark"! You two are the "Light"! Fate decided this long ago: before Earth existed, even!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Don't screw around! What "Fate"? It doesn't exist!" Netto yelled with obvious annoyance.

"Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!"

_What's his trick?_

A gigantic brown-colored snake with yellowish eyes came out from the "Past Gate" and headed for the ground while opening its mouth wide: everyone dodged and Meijin pressed a button on the console while crouching.

"Control center! We're counting on the "Dimensional Area"!"

The jelly – like fighters emerged from the ground close to the shaft whole the "Dimensional Area" formed, surprising Wily, who was standing on the outside.

"Hum?"

"Cross Fusion!" Yuuichirou commanded.

"Rush! Please!"

"Synchro Chip, Slot In! CROSS FUSION!"

They all "Cross Fused" and Twilight roared as he brandished his swords: the "Cross Fusion" fighters jumped out of the Time Space Tower next.

"Samurai Sword!"

"Variable Sword!"

"Shadow Blade!"

"CF" Miyabi, "CF" Blues, "CF" Barrel and "CF" Netto prepared to face the jelly fighters: "CF" Barrel made a cut to one of them but it regenerated while the other "Cross Fusion" members were trying to repel them, too.

"Hmpf!"

Twilight came out of the tower, levitating, and swung his right hand's sword in a 45º angle: a column of fire came out of the ground narrowly missed the group, who scattered to dodge.

"Scope Gun!"

Twilight merely cut it up with both swords or let it bounce off his apparently armored body with a loud metallic sound: he hummed a tune in the meanwhile too as if to taunt them.

"Go! Serpent!" Twilight commanded.

The serpent came out of nowhere and chased "CF" Meiru: it coiled around her waist thus stopping her movements.

"Meiru – chan!" "CF" Netto yelled.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh! This one has a place reserved in the Demon World's Living Hell! Those who do not meet the qualifications shall be incinerated! I am the Demon God! I rule over the whole world and the Time - Space! I shall change history! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah! Hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah, hah!" Twilight exclaimed.

The capsule stopped all of a sudden.

"What the hell! Impossible! Whose work is this?" He exclaimed.

More capsules could be seen travelling up and down on white beams of light.

"This flawed-evolution Network must be fixed."

"Duo… You lowlife! Commendable, yet futile!" Twilight roared.

The capsule frizzled and tilted before disassembling: he roared.

_Hell! I knew it! He's pissed off Duo!_

His form was shaking while the black body fell apart like scales and slowly revealing his original Net Navi body.

_Duo's cut off his power! Huh? A signal… A human signal… "COME TO MOON BASE NOW. KS." … The detective…? But why come to the Moon Base…? Is something going to…?_

Freeze Man was suddenly warped out of the "Past Tunnel" while the jelly fighters dissolved into nothingness: he was pulled backwards along with the serpent.

"Hold it right there!" "CF" Netto yelled.

Meijin and Yuuichirou saw it come down into the "Past Tunnel" and gasped while "CF" Netto ran past them.

"Meiru – cha~n!" He yelled as he dived into the "Past Tunnel" without thinking it twice.

"Netto!" His father was surprised.

The other members stood nearby.

"Let's give chase too!" "CF" Barrel exclaimed.

They jumped into the tunnel too.

_Huh… The Moon Base, alright. Huh? A camera… _

Duo's Comet stopped flashing 30 years ago and it began to emit a bright white light as a shockwave originated and expanded past it: the shockwave bathed the whole world in a blinding white light and nobody had time to react.

_What!_

A shockwave started at one side of the planet: the shockwave turned all of Earth into a gigantic sphere made of network data.

_Is this what he did to his planet?_

The network globe started to dissolve with a red light: Duo's Comet came out of the dust and flew outwards.

"… Apocalypse! Bothersome Duo…! My fate is to rule the world! That's my command!"

"So you claim, Cousin."

"You lowlife!"

The authentic Twilight was looking out through a monitor when "K. S." showed up behind him while having pulled his sleeves back almost as if he wanted to have a brawl.

"_Kanou Shade_!"

"Rule 11A?" He grinned.

"Che. Whatever!"

_What? Another Twilight! So the one in Duo's Comet was but a copy of the original? And the detective's name is Kanou Shade… _

Twilight opened a suitcase nearby and took out two fencing swords: he threw one to Shade, who calmly picked it up and examined it.

"Ice Queen – sama laid it down on that rule. If we had to fight then let it be fair and square fencing. I won't disobey a rule written by Her hand no matter what!" He fumed.

"Fine. Come! Yoru Yami!"

"You're asking for it! You dog!"

In the meanwhile, though, "CF" Meiru was laying face-up in the ground inside the Comet's Cyber World, being unconscious: "CF" Netto ran next to her.

"Meiru - chan!"

"CF" Netto picked her.

"Netto…?" She asked as she woke up.

"You're not hurt…" "CF" Netto smiled.

"Yes… Where are we at?"

"Duo's Comet!" "CF" Yuriko announced.

"CF" Netto turned to see the other eleven "Cross Fusion" users standing there.

"Guys!" "CF" Netto greeted.

"A long time ago… This is where I was revamped into a "Probe"…" She admitted.

"CF" Blues eyed the Twilight _bunshin_'s lying face down in the ground: he was missing the helmet and his body had reverted to normal: his blond hair was now pallid white or grey in color.

"Twilight!"

They walked over to him: "CF" Blues crouched besides him and turned him over but everyone gasped: his face was but an empty skull.

"So it was impossible for Twilight to control Duo's Comet, then!" "CF" Blues muttered.

"So because he played with the energy he ended up like that." "CF" Laika calmly muttered.

"… Humanity." A voice called out.

"Duo!"

"CF" Netto and the others gasped when seeing Duo looming over them close by: he'd gained a continuation of his body in the form of a large cylinder, a waist, legs, and gigantic blue armor over his feet.

"Duo's Judgment has been executed." Duo merely announced.

"…"Duo's Judgment has been executed"…?" "CF" Netto asked.

"What do you mean?" "CF" Meiru asked.

"The Earth of 30 years ago when humanity began to step into a flawed Network civilization and… the future which you humans would have followed from there… They have been annihilated from the Universe." He exposed.

He displayed an image of the Moon orbiting around some debris: everyone was shocked.

"Our… Earth…" "CF" Netto muttered.

"…"Cross Fusion"…" Duo turned to look at them.

They all gasped again.

"I wanted to witness what kind of power it was. I granted my "trial". And I granted usefulness to "Earth Erasure"… You humans gathered the 13 "Crests". And such you came to my domains. However…" He dully announced next.

"We were too late, then…?" "CF" Netto grasped.

"Humanity's hatred and desire… They led the "Asteroids" into the surface… And, as a result, humanity itself speeded up Earth's end. Come down to those, "Cross Fusion" is but the remains of a flawed Network civilization. I shall… erase you humans."

They all recoiled, scared, as Duo's eyes turned red, but "CF" Barrel rushed forward.

"Barrel – san!"

"CF" Barrel jumped towards Duo but he only had to flash his eyes to repel him and make him hit the ground.

"Barrel – san!"

He managed to sit up.

"Listen! Everyone… Twilight… he boasted that he could control Time – Space with Duo's power…"

Everyone gasped.

"If we defeat Duo then we "Crest" owners should be able to control Duo's Comet!"

"Then… We could resurrect the annihilated Earth?" "CF" Yuriko realized.

"Is that true?" "CF" Miyabi asked.

"I don't know… No! This is the last road left to us!" "CF" Barrel announced as he stood up.

"Let's fight, everyone!" "CF" Netto rallied.

"ROGER!"

They all floated in front of Duo, who did not move an inch, and took out their weapons.

"You still cannot understand it?" Duo sounded angry by now.

He shot from his eyes that "face" of red energy, thus hitting all of them: they all fell into the ground while being covered in bruises.

"Guah!"

"CF" Netto struggled to move but his vision was blurry: his hand with the "Crest" shone and the "Crest" came out before it dissolved.

"The "Crest" is… gone…" He muttered before he lost consciousness.

The same thing happened to the other twelve members: their "Crests" came out and were deleted.

"Awaken." Duo commanded.

The Navis were separated from their "Cross Fusion" forms while having their eyes closed before they substantiated and opened their eyes: they gasped.

"Netto – kun! Otouto!"

Rock Man crouched next to him and saw that he was sweating: Netto opened his eyes a bit and made a weak smile.

"I'm so glad…"

The others Navis were doing the same.

"You Navis…"

"Hum?" Knight Man wondered.

They turned to look at Duo.

"Will you swear loyalty to Duo?" He questioned.

"Loyalty, you say?" Search Man demanded.

"You Navis are unique Navis. Even I said you were remains of a flawed Network civilization… It would be a pity to be deleted just like that. Let us seek a new future for Navis. Let us travel together. Escape from humanity's self-destruction."

"No! I won't split away from Netto – kun! Even if I'm deleted!" Rock Man replied.

_And he's my otouto…_

"I'm always with Meiru – chan!"

"I was created to obey any orders from Enzan – sama. I will never think of saving my own hide!" Blues added.

"So you want to have the same fate as humanity. With the source of the evil which led Earth to its annihilation…"

"But humans learn things from failures! And grow up!" Search Man argued back.

"Jasmine's grandfather said it: "Humans have the power to carve out the future. The power to change despair into hope"…!" Meddy announced.

"There aren't guys like Nenji amongst the humans! Guys who'd treat me, an "Asteroid", as a buddy!" Napalm Man told him.

"In the other hand… We've been living as criminals yet…" Magnet Man admitted.

"You're mistaking in looking down on us!" Needle Man said.

"Miyabi has become a reliable step-brother and changed me." Shadow Man let out.

"I like being a nice _aibou_!"

"Dingo's bearings would be horrible without me!" Tomahawk Man grinned.

"I will protect the life of Princess - sama!" Knight Man announced.

"We will fight to the end! Duo!" Colonel exclaimed.

"Why do you care to such ends about humans?" Duo questioned while being seemingly unimpressed.

"It's because we like the humans! And I can trust in Netto – kun!"

Duo stood silent.

"We heard the voices of the people from the planet which created you inside of those ruins!" Rock Man added.

"Your planet did it too. They sought a new future for both humans and Net Navis and were researching "Cross Fusion"! But even so you destroyed your own planet!" Blues argued.

"I will ask once again, then. What is "Cross Fusion"?"

"It's the fusion of humans and Navis!" Roll replied.

"It means mutual trust and help!" Rock Man added.

Duo remained silent again.

"Even for the absolute Duo… You Navis are existences outside of any comprehension. I cannot allow you decadent existences to exist. You shall be deleted!"

His eyes flashed red again.

"Wait!"

"Netto – kun!"

Netto stood up and stood besides Rock Man.

_I cannot let that idiot do such a thing to you, Saito – niisan!_

_Otouto…_

"Like I'll let you do that…! I won't let you delete Rock Man and the others!"

Netto was being held by Rock Man since he had not fully recovered yet: the other Operators also stood up in front of their Navis.

"Meiru – chan!"

"Enzan – sama!"

"Laika – sama!"

"Yuriko!"

"Miyabi!"

"Charlie!"

"Tesla – sama!"

"Jasmine!"

"Dingo!"

"Nenji!"

"Pride – sama!"

"Barrel Tai-sa!"

"Why? Why are you both so disposed to protect each one from harm?" He demanded again.

"We've already said it! Humans and Navis are friends! It's totally natural to protect your own friends!"

Duo remained immobile for some seconds.

"Outside of comprehension." He announced.

"You can't get the point of it?" Netto cursed.

"Futile, Netto – kun."

Barrel walked past him.

"For Duo, understanding the emotions we name love, friendship and bonds, is impossible." Barrel announced.

"Huh…?" Netto looked surprised.

"But…"

Barrel hung his head down.

"… There's just one way… "Cross Fusion"."

"… "Cross Fusion"…?" Netto asked.

"Right. Fusing with a human... With me."

Everyone gasped.

"Fuse with Duo?" Laika asked.

"What are you saying, Barrel – san?" Netto asked.

"If it's you, then it's possible, Duo! Swallow me! If you want to realize us then… Fuse with me!"

Barrel began to walk to forward.

"Don't, Barrel – san!" Netto pleaded.

Rock Man was still holding Netto.

"Don't go!"

Netto rushed forward and a blue laser shot the ground in front of him while missing him by a few centimeters.

"Deeply interesting…"

Barrel turned to look at Duo again.

"Being able to realize… Fusing with a living life-form is you humans' "Cross Fusion"?" Duo questioned.

"Correct." Barrel confirmed.

Barrel kept on walking.

"Barrel Tai – sa."

Barrel turned to see Colonel.

"I shall be coming, too." He announced.

Barrel nodded in agreement and everyone gasped.

"BARREL – SA~N!" Netto actually cried.

"Do not worry, Netto – kun! I am the immortal Barrel!" Barrel smiled.

A bubble formed around him and Colonel and they floated upwards until they were in front of the hole in Duo's chest: the bubble entered the hole and Duo's body flashed white: he made a strange sound and his eyes flashed white.

"… Huh? Look at that!"

An explosion occurred within the empty space and Earth reformed: both Twilight and Shade stopped their fight to look at that and Freeze Man spotted it too.

"Earth's been resurrected!" Twilight exclaimed.

"They couldn't have defeated that behemoth."

"Obviously not. Something must've happened."

_But… What? _Freeze Man wondered.

"Yoru Yami! What do you intend to do next?" Shade questioned.

"Hmpf. Go to Rome."

"Huh? Rome?"

"Yeah. I wanna make the whole of Western Europe be covered in terror and fear. That of the "living Hell" and such can wait…"

"Hmpf…" Shade looked skeptical.

"Heh! And it'd be boring if Ice Queen – sama wasn't around to check it out! Maybe one day I'll go back to my "origins" and allow them to see how much I've matured thanks to this expedition."

"If you're going to leave then I won't care what you do. It'll probably be out of my capabilities, anyway. But if you get close to them then I'll bring the whole of the "Cross Fusion" members, Mr. Gospel and Mr. Freeze Man along to defeat YOU." He warned.

"Fair enough, Kanou… After all Ice Queen – sama wants to see us compete to prove our worthiness!" Twilight tossed the fencing sword into the open suitcase.

"Fine. But remember: I don't threat in vain. And don't think I'll tolerate you for much longer… If needed… I'll have Cousin Vadous come here to tackle you. My word!" He warned.

"Sure, sure, Kanou. I'm off. Heh, heh, heh…"

"… Hmpf…"

Twilight headed out after closing the case while chuckling aloud: Shade simply fumed and glanced at the monitor which now displayed footage from the Time Space Tower.

"Huh?"

The _twelve_ "Crest" holders appeared floating above the entry to the "Past Tunnel" while looking stunned: they then softly landed on the ground and walked forward.

"Netto! Everyone!" Yuuichirou exclaimed as he rushed towards them.

"Papa…" Netto muttered.

_Where's Mr. Barrel at? Wait! Did he have to be left behind? Was it the only way Duo would agree to resurrect Earth? _

A beep sounded.

"Hakase: a transmission from the "Past Tunnel". I'll patch it." Meijin reported.

One screen turned on although only static could be seen on it.

"Netto – kun." A familiar voice called out.

"Barrel – san! You're okay!" Netto exclaimed.

Barrel appeared on the screen, but he now looked older, on his seventies, even: everyone gasped.

_What! What happened to him? _Shade looked on with angst.

_Is that Barrel? He looks like he's aged 50 years in a day! Is this a side-effect of whatever's happened to him? _

"Barrel – san…!"

"It's been a while, Netto – kun. I clearly remember your face." He politely told him.

Netto looked shocked as well as everyone.

"You should've been… fused with Duo!" Enzan argued.

"… True. I've fused with Duo… And we've been travelling the vast Universe… A long time which makes yesterday look so remote has elapsed… It's been a superb experience… I've been able to explore the Universe's pathways…" Barrel explained while looking towards the right.

The image flickered.

"The "Past Tunnel" has started to be annihilated…" Dr. Hikari commented with Meijin.

"Barrel – san!" Netto called out in panic.

"Don't forget, Netto – kun! I am the _immortal_ Barrel." Barrel smiled before the signal faded away forever.

_So this is the price we've had to pay… A small price but at the same a large price… _Shade sighed.

"… Freeze Man? What happened? Where are you? Your signal is very weak: are you in orbit?" Gospel called out.

"Shuryou… Well… I'm in the Moon Base…"

"Why?"

"Kanou Shade warped me here, sir. A lot has happened."

"Did Duo really erase Earth?"

"He did, sir. And I've seen it. But it'd seem that Colonel Barrel, by fusing with Duo, has sacrificed himself to allow for Earth to be resurrected. Twilight is alive: he used a _bunshin_."

"By all the…!"

"But it'd seem he wants to do something in Western Europe instead of fighting us and Kanou Shade has settled on a momentary truce but he's ready to have him be defeated if he tries anything…"

"My head's reeling by now, even. Come back here. Record a debriefing and I'll read it on the days to come."

"Roger, Shuryou…"

17:47 PM (Japan Time), Thursday November the 12th…

_There are you are, gentlemen. You've been travelling back to Japan during the previous day… _

Shade looked on from behind a "Dimensional Generator" as how Netto stood in the roof of Science Labs while eyeing the evening skies.

"Enigmatic… That nobody can remember anything about Duo… Not even Commissioner Kifune and Manabe – san…" He muttered.

_But I do because I was outside of the planet. Cousin does. And Mr. Freeze Man does. The twelve former "Crest" owners and their Navis should remember that too…_

"… "Could the memories of the time when Earth disappeared once and then restored again have vanished?" … Papa said that but…"

"So… The only ones who remember that are the ones who were on the Time Space Tower! It looks like we've dreamt it up even."

"No, no. It was not a dream. It happened for real!" Saito corrected.

"Guess so… We can't forget it. Forget Duo's "Trial"… And… about Barrel – san…" Netto smiled while looking at the skies.

"Yeah." Saito nodded in agreement.

"NETTO~!" A chorus of voices called out.

Netto looked down at the main avenue to see Dekao, Chisao and Meiru standing there: Meiru sported a pink _kimono_.

"You were taking too long so we came to pick ya up!" Dekao yelled at him with a grin.

"The fireworks display is about to start!" Meiru announced.

"Hurry up, hurry up! Chu!"

"Oe~! I'm coming right now!"

_Yeah! I don't wanna miss it either!_

Netto, Meiru, Dekao, Chisao, Shuuko, Higure, Haruka, Hikawa and others watched the fireworks display organized by Rokushadama: Shade discreetly joined them too.

_Well. Let's check on the status of the former "chosen ones"… Mr. Dingo goes fist…_

Dingo got back home and celebrated it with Shanka.

_Nice. Ms. Jasmine._

Jasmine returned to her grandfather's place.

_Ms. Yuriko._

Yuriko and Mariko reunited in the apartment.

_Ah… It's nice to see they're finally together again… Mr. Airstar?_

Airstar and Tesla enjoyed a vacation in a tropical island with Gauss spying on them.

_Gauss Magnets… Watching out to see if they're going to marry or if Airstar is going to propose? Heh, heh._ _Princess Pride…_

Pride eyed the photo of the "training camp" on her office and smiled.

_Good to have a memento, yes… Mr. Laika._

Laika returned to Sharo to meet Morosov.

_His best friend… Let's check with Mr. Ijuuin next!_

Anetta and Yaito quarreled for their love for Enzan, to his dismay.

_Ah… This will be a troublesome spot. Good luck. Mr. Miyabi?_

Dark Miyabi enjoyed several curry meals on Maha Ichiban's under the eye of the old WWW members, who looked content to have a new regular customer.

_Heh, heh, heh. As expected._

All of the Navis celebrated while Netto and Saito smiled.

_Smile, gentlemen._

Everyone, including Yaito, Anetta, Enzan, Meijin, Kifune, Manabe and Yuuichirou watched the fireworks while smiling.

_Good! This half-a-year-long adventure is over. Let's hope we can have a decently long break… _

"… So, Shuryou…"

"Yeah. I know. I've begun working on some preparations. We'll be able to get up to full strength in about three weeks' time…"

Freeze Man had come out of his diamond and was reporting to Gospel while kneeling in front of the screen.

"Roger. I have waited 8 months. I don't mind waiting a few more weeks."

"But we must fight directly and without any "tricks" or "traps". We want to mark a difference from those savages. Don't we?"

"Certainly, sir!"

"Take a break. I'll handle the preparations."

"Roger, sir!"

Forte shut down the screen and came out into the balcony to look out at the fireworks display.

"Well, well, well… At least Earth's still in one piece even if we had to sacrifice Colonel Barrel… Hikari and Rock Man have done neatly, though, managing to gather all of the Companions… To keep Freeze Man in I guess I should stage a "rising" which would then be countered… I'd warn them before hand to avoid misunderstandings… Heh. See ya around!"

"… Saito – niisan! The adventure continues! Heh, heh!"

"Yup. Let's have fun now that peace has returned, Netto – kun! Otouto!"

Netto and Saito looked at the skies and grinned…

**THE END**


End file.
